Sukma attack: Maoists send loud and deadly message - stop road construction

Behind the deadly attack mounted in Chhatisgarh's Sukma district killing 26 CRPF personnel-- the highest casualty inflicted on the force in a single incident since 2010 that saw 76 dead-- is a loud and clear message by maoists to stop the road construction activity in the tribal region, preventing security forces to ingress their stronghold.

Hours before the guerrilla attack which saw more than 300 maoists ambush the 74th battalion between Chintagufa and Burkapal villages in south Chhatisgarh on Monday, CRPF recovered two IEDs filled with 10 kg of explosives each on the stretch from Aaranpur (in Danewada) to Jagargunda. Even as one tragedy was averted, the troops fell prey to the surprise attack where the two companies were overpowered by the large cadre of armed maoists.

"It was an encounter including gunfight between the maoists and our forces. They fled with some of the troop weapons,'' a senior official said.

The attack comes barely six weeks after a similar ambush was laid at Bheji on March 12 when 12 CRPF jawans were killed in a gunfight and multiple IED explosions hidden around the under construction road stretch.

As roads are being paved in deep forest areas at a slow pace but sustainably that have remained inaccessible and cut off for decades, the maoists have began to up their ante. This is the second attack on a CRPF patrol manning road construction in Sukma district of Chhatisgarh in two months period, taking the casualty count to 38. ``Maoists have been against the road construction activity. These attacks are to deter CRPF and security forces from reaching them,'' he added. The road construction activity has helped CRPF to deploy camps and carry anti-naxal operations in areas which were never accessed before along with providing tribal villagers a way to connect to main towns. Excessive security presence in the erstwhile forest areas also mean difficulty for maoists in venture out for ration, logistics and communication.

The 74th batallion of the CRPF was providing protection to the road construction activity between Chintagufa and Burkapal villages which lie on a 60 km stretch between Dornapal and Jagargunda. ``Maoists have cut off the road connectivity around Jagargunda which used to be a major market trade center for tribals, isolating the villages around. Currently the CRPF flies helicopter sorties to reach the civilian camp in Jagargunda,'' CRPF official said.

Fierce clashes between maoists and Salwa Judum people militia raised by Chhatisgarh in 2005 led large number of tribals to flee violence and abandon their villages. Jagargunda, a bustling trade hub, has been cut off for more than a decade. The state government is trying to build connectivity around Jagargunda and break its isolation through three road ways: Dantewada district to Jagarjunda, Bijapur district to Jagargunda and Dornapal to Jagargunda (60 km). The trijunction road connectivity is scheduled for completion by the end of 2017.

Burkapal and Chintagufa are amongst the two most critical places of CRPF deployment in Chhatisgarh and the surrounding area has a formidable presence of two dreaded naxal groups:South Bastar Divisional Committee (SBDC) and the People's Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA). According to intelligence officials, the SBDC is headed by Raghu, and is under the Jagargunda Area committee led by Papa Rao along with PLGA batallion no 1, led by top maoist commander Hidma who is reported to venture in the area often.

The villages around Jagargunda has witnessed at least three big incidents on CRPF, prior to the Monday ambush: Minpa in June 2009, Tadmetla in April 2010 and Kasalpad in December 2014.