Four police personnel were killed in an explosion while trying to dispose of a gunpowder dump of Maoists in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district on Saturday, officials said.
This was the first explosion incident linked to Naxalites in the state since it was declared free from armed Maoism on March 31. It was also the first instance this year in which security personnel engaged in anti-Naxal operations lost their lives.
Police earlier said that an improvised explosive device (IED) went off while being neutralised, but later a senior official stated that it was a gunpowder dump, hidden by Maoists when they were active in the area.
The tragic incident took place at around 11.30 am in a forest area of Aadnar village under Chhotebethiya police station limits, near the Narayanpur district border, when a joint team of security personnel was conducting a demining operation to locate and defuse IEDs planted earlier by Naxalites, Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj Pattilingam told PTI.
Based on the inputs received from surrendered Maoists and other intelligence, security forces have recovered and neutralised hundreds of IEDs across the Bastar range, he said.
Saturday's operation was launched following similar inputs about concealed Maoist dumps in the Chhotebethiya area. The team, led by the police's District Reserve Guard, also included personnel from the Bastar Fighters, the IG said.
The police team first found a dump containing items such as a computer and printer. Then another nearby dump containing five sacks (about 15 kg each) of explosive firecracker powder -- gunpowder comprising potassium nitrate and barium nitrate -- was found, the official said.
With the assistance of a Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS), the team leader and other members were removing the material. It is suspected that it exploded due to high temperature and a possible chemical reaction, the IG said.
Kanker Superintendent of Police Nikhil Rakhecha inspected the site after the explosion and a detailed ballistic and forensic examination was underway to ascertain the exact cause of the blast, he added.
Inspector Sukhram Vatti (40) of the DRG who was leading the team, constable Krishna Komra (35) of the district force, and constable Sanjay Gadhpale (29) of the Bastar Fighters succumbed to their injuries on the spot.
Another injured constable, Parmanand Komra (29) of the Bastar Fighters, was airlifted to Raipur but died during treatment.
While Inspector Vatti was a resident of Bijapur district, the other three were natives of Kanker district.
The team led by Vatti had successfully neutralised several IEDs earlier, said Pattilingam.
"We will always remain indebted to the supreme sacrifice of our brave personnel in service of the nation," he added.
Security forces have launched a search operation in the area, the IG said.
Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma termed the incident as "very tragic".
"I am deeply saddened by the loss. I pray to God for peace to the departed souls. The entire government stands firmly with the bereaved families," Sharma added.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.
