R Krishna Das
Raipur, April 5
The Maoist guerillas had forced people to desert the village before the security personnel walked into the trap, indicating a meticulous planned ambush that left 22 jawans dead on Sunday in Chhattisgarh’s restive Bijapur district.
The plan was so perfect that the jawans, who were in large numbers, were left with no room to breach the cordon. But the security personnel, especially the elite commandos of CRPF’s CoBRA battalion, gave befitting reply that could minimize the casualty. Given the preparedness of the rebels, the damage could have been manifold but the jawans fought bravely and ensured that the Maoists could not prolong the ambush despite being at an advantage.
According to eyewitnesses, the rebels had deserted Jhira village that adjoined the ambush site. “Normally, the rebels ask villagers to leave the habitant while laying ambush to avoid collateral damage,” an expert on Maoist insurgency in Jagdalpur told News Riveting. The villagers either move to their relatives houses or spend nights in dense forests before returning with the permission of Maoists, he added.
The Jhira village was abandoned two days before and it reportedly missed the lens of intelligence agencies. Even the jawans crossed the village but failed to sense the strategy behind its barrenness. The rebels ambushed the security personnel while they were returning. Most of the jawans rushed to the village to take cover, but the Maoists had already taken position. They attacked the jawans by using mortars, light machine guns and grenades. Unconfirmed reports said that 14 bodies were discovered in the village while the remaining eight in the forest.
Had the intelligence agencies spotted the mass movement of fleeing villagers or jawans noticed the desolate houses, the Maoists’ move could have been foiled.
The exemplary courage shown by the jawans had foiled the move of the Maoists. Even the position they had taken at the strategic locations, not a single jawan could have escaped. The rebels were sitting inside the vacant houses and fired point blank when jawans rushed for cover.
The security personnel could also inflict major casualties on Maoists. The police officials claimed that at least a dozen rebels were also killed and were seen evacuated by tractors. The security forces could however recover the body of the woman Maoist in uniform.
