The martyred jawan has been identified as Manoranjan Lenka of Rebana Nuagaon under Brahmagiri block of Puri district. He was a jawan of the 212 Battalion of the CRPF.
The jawans of the paramilitary force, including Lenka, were reportedly attacked when they were on their way from Kistaram to Palodi, conducting an area-domination operation.
As per reports, the red rebels detonated multiple Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) to blow up the anti-landmine vehicle the jawans were travelling in.
While eight of the 11 jawans died on the spot, one of the injured men died while being airlifted to Raipur for treatment, sources said.
Meanwhile, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik condemned the attack on jawans by the naxals.
Strongly condemn the attack on @crpfindia jawans in #Sukma, Chhattisgarh. My deepest condolences to the families of Odia jawan Manoranjan Lenka and all the brave personnel who lost their lives in the blast and wishing speedy recovery of those injured
— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) March 13, 2018
Kendrapara MP Baijayant Panda, condeming the attack, highlighted the need for upgradation of equipment of paramilitary forces deployed in the naxal-infested areas.
??Om Shanti..
If it was indeed an anti-landmine vehicle, then alternatives must now be thought of. So far air power not used bcz of stigma against using airforce/army against citizens. But thr's nothing to say paralitary/police can't get attack (not just transport) helicopters? https://t.co/wYt9JtkJRH— Baijayant Jay Panda (@PandaJay) March 13, 2018
The gunbattle broke out in a forest near Gumiyapal village, located around 400 km from Raipur, when a District Reserve Guard team was out on an anti-Naxal operation, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pallava told PTI.
There was a heated exchange of fire when the security personnel tried to zero-in on the rebels, following which the latter escaped into the forest, he said.
During search of the encounter spot, bodies of two ultras and two firearms - a .303 rifle and a muzzle-loading gun - were recovered, Pallava said.
Those killed were identified as Deva and Mamgli alias Mui, who were active members of the Malangir area committee of Maoists and carried rewards of Rs 5 lakh each on their heads, he said.
A suspected woman Naxal, identified as Kosi, was also arrested from the spot, the official said, adding the search operation was still underway in the area.
In the photo, which OTV has accessed, the Jawan is seen sitting on a plastic mat under a makeshift hut made of palm leaves, possibly a naxal camp. It seems the photo was captured while the Jawan was in conversation with someone in the camp which is possibly located in a jungle.
Meanwhile, the family of the Jawan has urged the government to take action and ensure his safe release.
“If a Jawan reports to his duty a day after his leave ends then action is taken against him. Now that a Jawan is missing since April 3 and no action has been taken by government so far. We want the government to search for a mediator so that he is released,” Meenu, wife of Rakeshwar, told ANI.
The outlawed outfit on Tuesday claimed that Rakeshwar, who went missing after the April 3 ambush in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region, is in their captivity. The ultras had asked the Chhattisgarh government to appoint interlocutors for his safe release.
The Maoists have, however, not raised any formal demands for the release of the commando.
The banned outfit also admitted that four of its cadres were killed in the encounter in which 22 security personnel had lost their lives.
Constable Rakeshwar Singh Manhas of the 210th CoBRA battalion, an elite unit of CRPF, had gone missing after the gunfight along the border of Sukma and Bijapur districts last Saturday.
The CPI (Maoist) statement also claimed that 24 security personnel were killed in the encounter.
“As many as 2,000 police personnel had reached near Jiragudem village to execute a major attack (on Saturday). To thwart them, PLGA (Peoples’ Liberation Guerilla Army) retaliated during which 24 security personnel were killed and 31 others injured. We have caught a policeman (CoBRA commando) at the spot while others escaped,” said a statement purportedly written by the Maoists and was circulated on social media on Tuesday.
It said the government should first announce names of interlocutors and the Jawan will be released later. “He will remain safe in our captivity till then,” it said.
The two-page statement was issued in the name of Vikalp, spokesperson of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) of the Maoists outfit which had been instrumental in executing several deadly attacks in south Bastar, including the Jhiram valley attack in Bastar district on May 25, 2013, in which top Congress leaders of Chhattisgarh unit were killed.
Maoists admitted that four cadres were killed in the Bijapur gunfight and the body of a slain woman cadre could not be retrieved from the spot.
The body of a woman Naxal was recovered by security forces from the encounter spot.