Maoists issue call for shutdown in five states

RAIPUR - A day after 26 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed and seven were injured in a Maoist ambushed in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur District, the rebels have called for a shutdown in Jharkhand, Bengal, Orissa, Bihar and Chhattisgarh.

Besides these five states, two Maoist strongholds in Gadchiroli and Bhandara districts of Maharashtra and in Madhya Pradesh’s Chandrapur and Balaghat districts, would also face a shutdown.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh is to hold an emergency meeting with the CRPF Director General Vikram Srivastav and other senior officials here today. ingh has condemned the Maoists, saying the security personnel have laid down their lives to free people from Naxal terror.

“Groups having faith in human rights should condemn this act of murder in one voice. The extremists lack moral courage to engage in a direct fight,” he added.

According to reports, on Tuesday at least 90 Maoists were involved in the ambush on a 63-strong CRPF road-opening party. It took place around 3 p.m. near Dhaudhai Police Station in Narayanpur.

Union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said: “There was a very unfortunate incident in Narayanpur, where a party of the CRPF, which had gone out on a road opening party was ambushed by the Maoists. As a result of the ambush, a total of 26 CRPF personnel were killed and seven are injured.”

“The entire party of 63, which had gone out, except of those killed, the bodies have been brought back, and the personnel have come back to the camp,” he added.

He further said that most of the injured are being treated in the camp itself.

“Reinforcement from the neighbouring camps have also reached, including medical teams. Two injured have been evacuated by helicopter, and the rest are being treated in the camp itself by doctors who have come as part of the reinforcement team,” Pillai said. (ANI)