Four CRPF men injured in Chhattisgarh Maoist ambush

By IANS

Raipur : At least four paramilitary troopers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were injured Monday when Maoist guerrillas exploded a landmine followed by gunfire in Chhattisgarh's southern forested, restive Bastar region.

According to the police, the incident took place in a thick-forested hamlet, Jharaghati, in Narayanpur district, some 355 km south of the state capital Raipur.

The attack was launched at a road opening party of about 60 CRPF troopers, Pawan Deo, deputy inspector general in Kanker Range, told IANS by phone.

The officer said one of the four injured personnel critically wounded in the attack was airlifted to Raipur.

The leftist insurgents run a parallel government in forested interiors of iron ore rich Bastar region that comprises of five districts - Bastar, Dantewada, Bijapur, Narayanpur and Kanker - and is spread out over about 40,000 sq km.

The state recorded 436 deaths in Maoist violence in year 2007, including 200 policemen and special police officers (SPOs) and 165 civilians.