CRPF men who guard Parliament mourn the loss of 13 comrades in Chhattisgarh
Sukma, Chhattisgarh:
Maoist rebels who ambushed a paramilitary patrol in Chhattisgarh on Monday and killed 14 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) soldiers, allegedly used villagers as human shields as they fired at the soldiers, who could not retaliate.
Here are the latest developments in this story:
A helicopter will take off from Jagdalpur shortly and will airlift the bodies of soldiers and the 12 CRPF men injured - five seriously - from the Chintagufa base and bring them to Raipur, the Chhattisgarh capital.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh will reach Raipur at about noon today. "It is an act of cowardice. I strongly condemn this dastardly act of violence. It is a challenge for the entire country," he said on Monday evening.
The Maoists struck deep in the forests in the Chintagufa area of Sukma district, 450 km from Raipur, and only about nine km from where Naxals had killed 76 CRPF men in an ambush in 2010. Two officers were among those killed in Monday's attack, the biggest in 2014. Six Naxals have also reportedly been killed.
The area is about 100 km from the nearest hospital and the terrain makes the relief and rescue efforts more challenging. The injured soldiers get basic medical care at the camps.
"The Naxals were using local villagers as shields, so our troops couldn't retaliate with full force as that would also have cost villagers' lives," a senior CRPF officer was quoted as saying.
The patrol party was returning to base after searching for Naxals. The CRPF has been carrying out an operation the area for two over weeks. Last month, 15 Maoists were killed in an encounter with the forces in the area.
Chief Minister Raman Singh held an emergency review meeting at his residence at midnight. "The injured are receiving treatment from local camp doctors (at Chintangufa base camp), they will be brought to Raipur for further treatment and the martyrs will also be honoured in Raipur," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "Words are not enough to condemn the brutal & inhuman attack by anti-national elements in Sukma, Chhattisgarh." And also, I salute the courageous CRPF personnel who have been martyred today. Our thoughts are with the families of those who lost their loved ones."
Maoists have been called India's biggest internal security threat. They operate in 20 of India's 28 states and have thousands of fighters, according to the Home Ministry.
The Naxals say they represent the poor, including farmers and members of tribal groups who depend on forests for food, fuel and shelter.
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