First Pics: Naxals blow up bus near Dantewada

In another daring attack, Naxals blew up a bus on Dantewada-Sukma road in Chhattisgarh on Monday.

Over 30 people, including security personnel who were on the bus, were killed in the attack.

According to the reports, there were 15 special police officers (SPOs) and local policemen on the bus.

Dantewada had witnessed the worst-ever massacre of CRPF jawans only a few months ago, when 76 jawans were killed in a Naxal ambush. (Image Source: Sadhna News)

A day after the attack, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called a top-level meeting to review the government's Naxal strategy.

The bodies of over 30 people were received in Sukma near Dantewada. The Maoists did not discriminate between the security forces and children.

According to the reports around 15 people were rescued. However, reports on the toll in the bus blast were fluctuating since information was difficult to come by in the dense forests of the Naxal-infested area where the bus was blown up.

In Chhattisgarh, last rites of those killed in the bus blast were performed at Sukma. Chief Minister Raman Singh was present there too.

Singh will leave for Delhi soon to meet the Prime Minister, who called the review meeting a day after Home Minister P Chidambaram told NDTV that the government would have to revisit tactical operations against the Maoists in view of their changing tactics.

Early reports said at least 30 people had been killed in the landmine blast. But Special DG V Raman said: "I fear at least 50 dead, we are checking." (Image Source: Sadhna News)

This is the first such attack on a civilian passenger bus. Security personnel in civilian clothes traveling on the bus were believed to have been the main targets of the attack. (Image Source: Sadhna News)

SPOs are mostly local people recruited to fight the Maoists and have emerged as the biggest threat to them. (Image Source: Sadhna News)

The Ministry of Home Affairs had called a meeting in Delhi. The Home Ministry condemned the attack and said most of those killed were civilians. (Image Source: Sadhna News)

Chhattisgarh Home Minister Nanki Ram Kawar said Maoists were targeting innocents out of desperation.

The Congress condemned Monday's incident saying the strictest action must be taken against the Naxals. (Image Source: Sadhna News)

Dantewada had witnessed the worst-ever massacre of CRPF jawans only a few months ago, when 76 jawans were killed in a Naxal ambush. (Image Source: Sadhna News)