Raipur: The death of two ITBP soldiers in an IED blast in Narayanpur, Bastar, on Saturday sparked a wave of mourning across Chhattisgarh, with leaders across the political divide paying their respects and tribute to the martyrs.
The deceased soldiers, Amar Pawar from Maharashtra and K Rajesh from Andhra Pradesh were part of an anti-naxal operation jointly conducted by security forces. The blast took place when the soldiers were returning to their camps.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai, Deputy CMs Vijay Sharma and Arun Sao, and Minister Tankaram Verma attended the wreath-laying ceremony at the Mana Camp in Raipur and expressed condolences to families and fellow soldiers.
On the occasion, Verma reiterated the state government’s commitment to end Naxalism in the state.
"The soldiers gave the supreme sacrifice as they were killed in the line of duty while fighting against Naxalism," he said, adding that the state government is working tirelessly to free Chhattisgarh from Naxalism.
Chhattisgarh Assembly Speaker Raman Singh also condemned the incident and said that Naxalites were in a state of frustration as the state government intensified the anti-naxal operations in the region.
"The joint operation being conducted by security forces in Chhattisgarh is yielding very good results," he claimed.
Meanwhile, a special plane carried the bodies of the deceased soldiers to their native places.
Police said the IED blast incident took place in the forest area of Kodliar at noon on Saturday when the joint team of security personnel was on an anti-Naxal operation.
This year at least 17 security force personnel were killed in anti-Naxal operations in Bastar, while forces have killed 189 Naxalites in encounters across seven districts of the region.
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