Raipur:
13 people, including poll officials and CRPF jawans, were killed in two Maoist attacks in Chhattisgarh on Saturday. The attacks took place when security and poll officials were least expecting it - the CRPF jawans and officials on election duty had just winded up their work when Naxals struck.
The first attack took place in Darbha Valley in Sukma district where the Naxals blew up an ambulance using Improvised Explosive device (IED). Five CRPF jawans were killed and six others were injured. A technician in the ambulance, who was seriously hurt in the attack, succumbed to his injuries on Sunday morning.
"There were some EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) and poll officials were to be safely brought out of Tongpal and Sukma district. We were successful in it. The Road Opening Party was returning in an ambulance which was blown up by Naxals," said Bastar Superintendent of Police Ajay Yadav.
The place is close to the Jeeram Valley where senior Chhattisgarh Congress leaders were killed in a Naxal attack last year.
A police official said that around 75-100 Naxals were involved in the ambush on the polling party. The rebels fled to the core forest after security personnel launched a retaliatory attack.
CRPF Inspector General (Operations) in Chhattisgarh H S Sidhu said that they are still investigating the incident but the troops' decision to board the ambulance has surprised them.
A Court of Inquiry has now been initiated into the incident.
The second attack took place less than an hour later and 160 km away in Bijapur, where another IED blast by the Naxals blew up the bus in which the poll officials were returning. Five poll officials, the bus driver and its cleaner were killed while three others were injured.
"The polling party was coming back when some of them got tired and went inside the bus. The blast took place in the bus," said Sunil Kujur, Chief Electoral Officer, Chhattisgarh.