Raipur, June 29
Maoists today shot dead 26 CRPF personnel and wounded eight others in an ambush in a remote area of Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district in the latest of a series of deadly attacks by the ultra-Left activists.

A large number of heavily-armed Maoists, perched on a hilltop, opened fire from automatic weapons on a 63-member security contingent which was returning on foot from road opening duty, Union Home Secretary GK Pillai said in New Delhi.

The attack, which also left eight personnel, including four special police officers of Chhattisgarh Police injured, took place at Daurai Road area, about 300 km from here, around 3 pm.

Additional Director General of Chhattisgarh Police Ramniwas said the security personnel, who also included state policemen, retaliated but it was not clear if any Maoist was either killed or wounded. He said the dead CRPF included an Assistant Commandant of the force Jatin Gulati.

Today’s attack came nearly three months after the worst massacre by the Maoists which left 75 personnnel of the force and one Chhattisgarh policeman dead in Dantewada district on April six this year. Pillai said security and medical reinforcements had been sent to the spot and all bodies had been recovered.

The injured were taken to a hospital by an army helicopter, he said. The condition of five of the eight injured was stated to be serious, CRPF officials in New Delhi said. The CRPF troops were from the 39th battalion of the force and were a part of its ‘E’ and ‘F’ companies, CRPF Director General Vikram Srivastava said.

On May 8, eight CRPF men were killed when Naxals had blown up a vehicle also in Narayanpur district. — PTI