Maoist attack: Will establish peace in Chhattisgarh, says CM Sai

Impassioned scenes of grief were witnessed as wreaths were laid on Tuesday at the mortal remains of eight police personnel and a civilian driver killed in a blast carried out by Maoists in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district.

IMAGE: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai pays floral tribute to the mortal remains of a fallen braveheart who lost his life in an IED blast carried out by Maoists in Bijapur, in Dantewada, January 7, 2024.Photograph: ANI Photo

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, other senior state leaders and the inconsolable family members of the deceased paid homage at the wreath-laying ceremony in Dantewada, amid chants of Bharat Mata ki Jai and Vande Mataram.

The family members of the deceased, including women and children, were seen crying as women security personnel tried to console them.

After paying homage to the martyred personnel, Sai said, "The sacrifices of the jawans will not go in vain and we will be successful in establishing peace in the state."

Chief Minister Sai, deputy CM Vijay Sharma and director general of police Ashok Juneja lent their shoulders to the mortal remains of jawans as they were shifted to vehicles to transport them to the native places of the deceased.

In their biggest strike on security forces in Chhattisgarh in two years, Maoists on Monday blew up the security personnel's vehicle using a 60-70 kg improvised explosive device near Ambeli village under Kutru police station area in Bijapur district.

Eight security personnel, four each from the state police's District Reserve Guard and Bastar Fighters units, travelling in the SUV and the vehicle's driver died on the spot, located around 70 km from Bijapur district headquarters.

The wreath-laying ceremony for the deceased was held at the Police Lines at Karli in Dantewada.

Apart from Chief Minister Sai and deputy CM Sharma, other lawmakers and officials also paid homage to the deceased.

Sai also met family members of the martyred jawans and the deceased driver and consoled them.

Talking to reporters, Sai said the sacrifice of the jawans will not go in vain.

"Maoists have become frustrated due to which they have committed such a cowardly act. I pay my tribute to the martyred jawans and the civilian driver," he said.

"The sacrifices of our jawans will not go in vain. They sacrificed their lives to establish peace in Chhattisgarh and in the country. We will, indeed, be successful in establishing peace," he added.