Team News Riveting
Jagdalpur, November 6
Maoists cadre resorted to violence in parts of Bastar that goes to the polls on Tuesday, injuring two jawans of Border Security Force (BSF) and Indo-Tibetan Police Force (ITBP) besides two polling staff in two separate incidents.
The first phase of elections in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday covers all the 12 assembly constituencies of Bastar, once infamous for Maoist violence. The rebels have tried to make their presence feel and targeted the BJP leaders during the campaign trail. The BJP leaders were killed by the rebels.
The Maoists have been monitoring the movement of polling parties advancing to the respective stations to inflict violence and disturb the election process. In the sensitive areas, polling parties are flown in Indian Air Force (IAF) choppers.
On Tuesday, they succeeded at two different places, in Narayanpur and Kanker districts. According to officials, rebels detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Narayanpur district and injured a soldier belonging to the 53rd battalion of the ITBP.
The incident took place near Sonpur when the party was conducting a search operation. The injured soldier has been brought to the district hospital, where he is undergoing treatment.
Maoists also blasted an IED in Rengawahi of Chhotabethiya police station in Kanker district, in which a BSF jawan was injured. The rebels planted the IED at Rengawahi paddy procurement centre. Reports said that the Maoists triggered three blasts in which two members of the polling party were also injured besides the jawan.
