Maoists kill civilians in Dantewada

At least 35 people, including 11 special police officers (tribals recruited to assist anti-Naxal operations) were killed when the passenger bus in which they were travelling was destroyed in a Maoist landmine blast at Chingawaram, in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district, nearly 480 km from here, on Monday evening.

The Centre said that the Chhattisgarh government was alerted about possible naxal attacks the Dantewada incident in which 76 CRPF personnel were killed by the left-wing ultras on April 6.

The Chhattisgarh director-general of police, Mr Vishwa Ranjan, said at least 50 people were feared killed in the incident, which occurred at around 5.15 pm. “We are still getting updates on casualties from the spot,” the DGP told reporters here late on Monday evening. The Chief Minister, Mr Raman Singh, put the toll at 35.

“The dead include 11 SPOs and 24 civilians, including women and children,” Mr Singh told reporters here Monday evening. At least 20 people, including six SPOs, were injured in the incident.

The injured have been admitted to government hospitals at Gadiras and Sukma, official sources here said.

The bus, carrying around 55 passengers, including 25 SPOs, was travelling from Dantewada to Sukma.

“This is the first time the Naxals have attacked a passenger bus. Perhaps the bus was attacked to target the SPOs,” Mr Sanjay Sharma, Sukma deputy superintendent of police, told this newspaper.

According to police sources, the Maoists detonated a powerful landmine planted by the metalled road using a remote control device.

The 70-seater bus was tossed nearly 20 feet into the air and was completely mangled. The explosion created a 10-foot crater around which the dead lay scattered.

Eye-witnesses contacted by this newspaper said local villagers and policemen rushed to the area, surrounded by thick forest, to retrieve the bodies and rescue the injured.

Reports reaching here late in the night said at least 14 bodies were still lying trapped in the mangled bus.

When reports came in last, a a rescue team were battling hard to extricate the bodies.