Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh) September 29
Four CRPF personnel, including a Deputy Commander, were killed and three others injured today when Maoist naxalites ambushed a police jeep on patrol duty during President Pratibha Patil’s visit to the famous Chitrakote waterfall on the Indrawati river in Bastar district.

The President was watching the picturesque waterfall when naxalites triggered a landmine explosion, blowing up the police jeep, about 18 km away from the tourist spot, on the Chitrakote-Barsur road, police said. Later, the President returned to the state capital Raipur, as per schedule, by a helicopter.

Deputy Commander Diwakar Mahapatra and jeep driver L.K. Kora were killed on the spot, while Head Constable S.B. Verma and Constable N.K. Jha died at the government hospital here. The seriously injured were being shifted to Raipur medical college hospital in a helicopter, the police said.

The injured were identified as Constable R. Barme, Head Constable Ravindra Naidu and Special Police Officer Saniram.

In view of the President’s visit, tight security arrangements were in place around 25 Km periphery of the waterfall. However, the ultras managed the attack. — UNI