Eight jawans of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and a civilian driver lost their lives on Monday (January 6, 2025), after Naxals detonated a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) targeting their vehicle in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, police said.
The attack, which occurred near Ambeli village under Kutru police station at approximately 2:15 p.m., is the most significant Maoist strike on security forces in the state in two years and the first such assault of 2025.
Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P stated that the DRG personnel, returning to Dantewada after a three-day anti-Naxalite operation, were traveling in a Scorpio vehicle when the blast occurred. All eight jawans and the driver were killed instantly.
The DRG, a specialized unit of the state police, primarily recruits personnel from local tribal populations and surrendered Naxalites.
Following the attack, reinforcements were sent to the area, and efforts to recover the bodies of the deceased are underway. A search operation has been launched in the region to track the perpetrators.
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Anti-Naxalite Operation and Fatalities
The DRG personnel had been involved in a joint operation spanning three days along the borders of Narayanpur, Dantewada, and Bijapur districts. During the operation, five Naxalites were killed, but the DRG also lost one head constable.
As the team was returning to their base in Dantewada, the ambush took place in Kutru. The blast site, located around 400 km from Raipur, displayed a massive crater over 10 feet deep on the concrete road. The vehicle was completely destroyed, with parts found hanging from nearby trees, and dismembered bodies placed on plastic sheets were visible in visuals from the scene.
Official Reactions
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai expressed profound grief over the incident, calling it a cowardly act born out of frustration due to the state’s intensified counter-insurgency operations in Bastar.
“The martyrdom of these brave jawans will not go in vain. Our fight against the Naxal menace will continue with full determination,” Sai said in a statement.
He added, “The news of the martyrdom of 8 jawans and a driver in an IED blast in Bijapur is deeply saddening. My condolences are with the families of the martyrs. May their souls rest in peace, and may God give strength to the bereaved families.”
Historical Context
This is not the first time Naxals have used IEDs to target security forces in the Bastar region, which includes seven districts like Dantewada and Bijapur. In a similar attack on April 26, 2023, ten police personnel and a civilian driver were killed when Naxals blew up their vehicle in neighboring Dantewada.
The government and security forces continue their operations to dismantle Naxal networks, vowing to intensify efforts despite such setbacks.
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