8 Jawans and 1 Civilian Killed in Naxal IED Blast in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur

A deadly IED blast by Naxals at Bijapur in Chhattisgarh has killed eight jawans from the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and one civilian driver. The attack occurred after an anti-Naxal operation, marking the biggest assault on security forces in two years.

By Tripti Singh Updated: Jan 6, 2025, 17:44 IST

Eight jawans of the District Reserve Guard and one civilian were killed in an IED blast carried out by Naxals on Monday in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district. The attack targeted a vehicle carrying the security personnel, which was driven by a civilian.

The explosion took place near Ambeli village under the Kutru police station when security personnel were returning from an anti-Naxalite operation. All those aboard the vehicle died when the improvised explosive device exploded.

Inspector General of Police for the Bastar Range, Sundarraj P, confirmed the deaths and briefed the media about the incident. He said that the attack happened when the jawans were returning to base after their mission.

What was said about the Bijapur incident by Chief Minister Vishnu Sai?

"The news of the death of a driver along with 8 jawans in an IED blast by Naxals in Kutru of Bijapur district is very sad. Naxals are frustrated with the ongoing Naxal elimination campaign in Bastar and are carrying out such cowardly acts. The martyrdom of the jawans will not go in vain, our fight to eradicate Naxalism will continue with strength.

Earlier speaking to the media on the latest incident, the Chief Minister said, "Overall, if you see, there are very few casualties of our jawans. The way attacks used to happen earlier, there were casualties on both sides, but now there are very few casualties of soldiers. Our government is fighting against Naxalism. The security forces are fighting with enthusiasm".

Dr. Raman Singh, the Speaker of Chhattisgarh Assembly and former Chief Minister, condemned the attack. He termed it as a cowardly response by Naxals to large-scale operations against them and expressed his condolences to the families of the fallen jawans. He also emphasized that the state and central governments would continue their efforts to combat such attacks.

This is the deadliest attack on security forces by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh in the past two years. The last big attack was on April 26, 2023, when Naxals in neighboring Dantewada district killed ten policemen and a civilian driver with an IED blast.

The attack has again thrown the spotlight on the menace of Naxal violence in Chhattisgarh and surrounding areas.