Two personnel of the Special Task Force were killed and four others injured after Maoists denoted an improvised explosive device in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, the police said on Thursday.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai expressed grief over the incident and said the sacrifice of the jawans will not go in vain and the fight against Naxalism will continue till the menace is eradicated.
The incident took place on Wednesday night in Tarrem area when a joint team of security personnel was returning after an anti-Maoist operation in forests on the tri-junction of Bijapur-Sukma-Dantewada districts, a police official said in Bijapur.
Personnel of the STF, District Reserve Guard -- both state police units -- Central Reserve Police Force and its elite Commando Battalion for Resolute Action were involved in the operation, launched on Tuesday based on inputs about the presence of Maoists belonging to their Darbha and west Bastar divisions and military company no.2, he said.
"Two STF constables -- Bharat Sahu, resident of Raipur, and Satyer Singh Kange, of Narayanpur district -- were killed in the blast triggered by Maoists while four other personnel sustained injuries," the official said.
Reinforcement was rushed to the area after the incident and the injured personnel were shifted to Bijapur district hospital, he said.
The injured jawans will be airlifted to the state capital Raipur for further treatment, he added.
CM Sai in a post on X said, "Received the sad news about the martyrdom of 2 STF jawans and injury to 4 jawans in an IED blast carried out by Maoists in Tarrem area of Bijapur. I pray to God for the departed souls to rest in peace and for the speedy recovery of the injured jawans".
"Maoists have become frustrated by the operations being carried out by the state government to eliminate the menace and are resorting to cowardly acts. The martyrdom of the jawans will not go in vain. Our fight will continue till the end of Maoism," he said.
As many as 139 Maoists have been gunned down by security forces in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh so far this year, according to the police.
