STF official killed in Naxal ambush in Bastar near site of attack on Congress leaders

Raipur: A Special Task Force (STF) official was killed and a jawan injured when Naxals ambushed a team of security forces in Chhattisgarh’s insurgency-hit Bastar district on Saturday, police said. The attack occurred at 0200 AM when a contingent of STF was out for an operational task on NH30 in Darbha region of the district, notorious for Naxal violence. The location of the ambush is close to Jeeram Ghati area of Bastar where the top Congress leadership of the state was wiped out by Maoists in May, 2013, killing 31 people. [caption id=“attachment_2403398” align=“alignleft” width=“380” class=" “]  Representational image. Image courtesy: AFP[/caption] Assistant Platoon Commandant (APC), STF Krishna Pal Singh was killed while a constable Santosh Yadav sustained minor injuries in the incident, Inspector General of Police (SIB) Deepanshu Kabra told PTI. Following inputs that Naxals had blocked NH-30, which connects Jagdalpur to Sukma, by felling trees and digging roads near Totapara village, the STF squad was dispatched towards the spot from Darbha. When the team reached near the village after covering a distance of 3 kilometres, a large group of armed Naxals opened indiscriminate firing at them, following which security personnel launched a retaliatory attack, he said. After the ensuing gunfight that lasted for around two hours, Naxals fled into the thick jungles, he said. APC Singh, who had sustained grievous bullet injuries, succumbed while being rescued from the spot, Kabra said, adding, Yadav has been admitted to a hospital in Jagdalpur. Soon after receiving the alert, a reinforcement team was rushed to the spot and a massive search has been launched to nab the attackers. It was not immediately known if the Naxals had suffered any casualties, Kabra said. PTI