Sukma attack planned with ‘deadly accuracy’, Naxalites used arrows attached with explosives: Police

The Chhattisgarh Police said that Saturday’s Naxalite attack in Sukma district, which killed 12 Central Reserve Police Force personnel, was planned and was even executed with “deadly accuracy”, PTI reported. The militants had used locally-made mortars, tiffin bombs, and arrows with explosives attached to their heads.

The CRPF’s 219th battalion was in Bhejji when the attack took place on Saturday. The troop was responsible of providing security on the road which is being built between Injeram and Bhejji on NH-30, as traders were scheduled to set up the “Saturday market” in the area.

The militants were probably aware of the market day and where the CRPF personnel would have been stationed, and had planned the attack before-hand, an unidentified police official told PTI. “The Naxals surrounded them [the CRPF personnel] and unleashed the attack on them by resorting to random firing after triggering a powerful explosion, without giving them any chance to save themselves,” the official added.

At least nine arrows with explosives attached to their heads and seven tiffin bombs were seized at the site of the attack. These arrows, popular known as “Rambo-style” arrows, are inspired by the 1982 Sylvester Stallone-film First Blood.

“The Maoist fighters triggered landmines. At the same time, they used country-made mortar and the Rambo-style-arrow-IEDs that created high impact in claiming 12 lives,” The New Indian Express reported quoting sources.

The trees around the attack site were also boobytrapped with tiffin bombs, reported The Indian Express. As soldiers took cover behind trees, the Maoists triggered the explosives with wires and six such IEDs had exploded.

Police officials said the Maoists wanted to stop development work in the area, which is why they targeted the CRPF personnel. This attack is considered to be the worst on security personnel in the past one-and-a-half years.