A Doordarshan cameraman and two security personnel died in a Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh.
Two policemen and a cameraperson from national broadcaster Doordarshan died in a Maoist attack in election-bound Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, news agency ANI reported.
The Doordarshan team was in the Maoist-affected region for election coverage. The attack took place in the forests in Aranpur in Dantewada.
Assembly polls in Chhattisgarh will be held in two phases on November 12 and 20
Here are Highlights on Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada:
Condolences from the Trinamool family. We condemn the dastardly murder of DDNational camera person and 2 crpfindia jawans in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh. Our sympathies with the bereaved families. Violence, in any form, must be condemned: All India Trinamool Congress tweeted
The Editors Guild of India issued a statement on the incident:
DM Awasthi, Special DG, Anti-Naxal Operations in Chhattisgarh briefed media today on the incident. He said:
- Two police personnel and one Doordarshan cameraman were martyred in today's Naxal attack in Dantewada.
- After the incident, 8-10 IED have been recovered from the area and have been defused.
- Today's ambush was to target the road construction work in Dantewada's Aranpur. Naxals had warned against causing harm if the road construction work continued.
- More anti-Naxal operations will be conducted in the coming days
- Today's Naxal attack in Dantewada is not related to upcoming elections.
- The attack will not hamper polls.
- We have a total of 650 companies of security forces for the first phase of assembly elections
Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore on Tuesday announced financial assistance of Rs 15 lakh to the family of the DD News cameraman who was killed in a Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh.
Mr Rathore said that Rs 10 lakh would be given as ex gratia by Doordarshan and Rs 5 lakh would be from the Journalist Welfare Fund of the Press Information Bureau, according to an official statement.
Doordarshan Cameraman's Facebook Post Hours Before Death In Maoist AttackFive hours before his death, Doordarshan cameraperson Achyuta Nanda Sahu, who was killed in a Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh today, had posted on Facebook several pictures taken in Dantewada. Mr Sahu and his two colleagues were in the Maoist-hit region to cover the November 12 Chhattisgarh election.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley through his tweet assured that Government is responding in a befitting manner to such attacks. He tweeted:
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala paid tributes to the deceased and termed the BJP government in the state "incompetent and worthless".
"The people of Naxal-hit Chhattisgarh have made up their mind to oust the incompetent and worthless government of Chief Minister Raman Singh,"Mr Surjewala tweeted.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik paid his heartfelt condolences to the family if the cameraman. He tweeted:
Minister of Communications and Minister of State, Railways, Manoj Sinha strongly condemned the attack. He tweeted:
Law & Justice, Information Technology Minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad condemned the attack:
Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan also paid his condolences:
Minister of Railways and Coal, Piyush Goyal condemned about the incident.
He tweeted, Pained and angered at the Naxal attack on CRPF jawans and @DDNewsLive crew in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh. I strongly condemn such a cowardly and dastardly act".
Politician Kapil Mishra tweeted about the incident:
Rajyavardhan Rathore also tweeted saying, Deeply saddened by the demise of our cameraman Achyuta Nanda Sahu and two CRPF jawans:
Stand in solidarity with family of the camerman, we will take care of his family. We salute all those media persons who go for coverage in such dangerous situations, remember their bravery: Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore on DD cameraman Achutyanand Sahu killed in Naxal attack
Today our patrolling party was ambushed by Naxals in Aranpur. Two of our personnel were martyred, and a DD cameraman was also injured and later succumbed. Two more personnel injured: DIG P Sundarraj told news agency ANI.
Cameraman Achyuthanand Sahu was part of a Doordarshan crew in Chhattisgarh for election coverage.
- The 90 seats of the Chhattisgarh Assembly will vote in two phases - November 12 and November 20.
- The Maoist-affected districts of southern Chhattisgarh will vote in the first phase of polling.
- The Doordarshan team was in the Maoist-affected regionfor election coverage and was accompanying a patrolling team in Dantewada.
- The attack took place in the forests in Aranpur in Dantewada. "Our party had gone to the area for patrolling. The Doordarshan crew was with them," P Sunder Raj, DIG, Naxal Operation, said.
- The Doordarshan cameraman has been identified as Achyuthanand Sahu.