Officials reported an Assistant Commandant of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was martyred in a clash with Maoists in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, on Saturday morning. Around 60 kilometres from the district headquarters, the tragedy occurred.
Shanti Bhushan Tirkey, a Jharkhand citizen, has been identified as the dead, according to police sources. Apparav, a jawan, was also injured but is doing well, they said.
The firing began about 09.30 a.m., while a company of CRPF Battalion 168 was on road safety duty, according to Bastar IG P Sundarraj. “The firing started near Dongal Chinta nala near Putkel village. Security forces responded to the fire by unknown Maoists. Additional reinforcement was sent to the spot, and they are searching the area,” the IG said.
The two men kidnapped by Maoists on Friday are still being sought by Bijapur police. Sub engineer Ashok Pawar and the head mason with whom he was working on a bridge connecting the districts of Bijapur and Narayanpur were kidnapped in the Bedre area. They were hired by a private agency.