In a daring attack, Maoists targeted a police camp in Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh on Wednesday injuring four policemen.
“The Maoists opened indiscriminate fire at the Basing police camp in Narayanpur early on Wednesday. They [Maoists] also hurled country-made bombs at the camp. Four of our jawans were injured in the attack,” said Narayanpur Superintendent of Police Amit Kamble.
According to an officer involved in anti-Maoist operations in Bastar, the ultras fired 35 country-made crude shells and HE (high explosive) bombs on the camp.
Two-hour attack
The attack lasted for over two hours in which the rebels managed to destroy the wireless communication system of the Basing camp.
“Our jawans fired back in retaliation, but the Maoists managed to escape taking advantage of darkness,” said the SP.
Constables Manmohan, Virhul Bhagat, Vinay Chandra and Ajay Tigga suffered injuries during the attack. Vinay Chandra and Manmohan were reportedly critical and were shifted to Jagdalpur headquarters for treatment.
Police worried
The daring attack has left the police establishment worried as many new camps have been set up in some of the most sensitive patches of Bastar in last two years, effectively curbing the free movement of the rebels.
According to police sources, the camps even in the most sensitive and difficult terrains are not usually targeted by Maoists, but Wednesday’s attack showed that with increasing pressure of security forces across the Bastar region, even the camps could be vulnerable to the rebel attacks.
An injured policeman being shifted to Jagdalpur hospital after a Maoist attack on Wednesday.