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'400 naxals surrounded us, rained bullets from all sides'

The injured jawans of STF and CoBRA battalion recounted their ghastly experience of the Maoist encounter that killed 22 security personnel. 400 Naxals had ambushed security personnel from three sides.

'400 naxals surrounded us, rained bullets from all sides'
'400 naxals surrounded us, rained bullets from all sides'

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Published : Apr 5, 2021, 1:47 PM IST

Updated : Apr 5, 2021, 2:09 PM IST

Bijapur:Recounting his horrifying experience of one of the deadliest Maoist attack in the jungles of Chhattisgarh's Bijapur,Special Task Force (STF) constable Dev Prakash said that a group of an estimated 400 Maoists had ambushed security personnel.

Prakash, who was injured in the Naxal attack, recalled the fateful encounter in which Maoists ambushed security from three sides and started firing to which jawans also retaliated in a befitting manner.

He said, "The jawans moved forward and were engaged in an encounter that lasted for about five hours. Maoists were also killed in the gunfight."

'400 naxals surrounded us, rained bullets from all sides'

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A total of 22 security personnel were killed and 31 injured in a fierce gun battle with a platoon of over 400 People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district.

Narrating the deadly attack further, the injured jawan said the bullets were raining from all sides and amidst the heavy gunfight, it was extremely difficult to even ferry the bodies of security forces personnel to another place. The jawan asserted that the jawans will continue their fight against the Maoists in the upcoming future with greater valour.

READ: Anti-Naxal ops to continue, Bijapur encounter not intelligence failure: CM Baghel

CoBRA battalion constable Balraj Singh said that the Maoists attacked the security personnel with light machine guns (LMGs) and used low-intensity improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to mount the attack that went on till evening.

Singh attributed the higher casualties on the jawan side to the improvised explosive devices by the Maoists, adding that few locals also colluded with the Maoists.

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Last Updated : Apr 5, 2021, 2:09 PM IST

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