Maoists Detonate 70 kg IED in Chhattisgarh's Bastar Region; 8 Policemen and Driver Killed

At least nine people, including eight policemen, were killed on Monday in a deadly Maoist attack in Bastar's Bijapur district, Chhattisgarh, during an ongoing combing operation. The vehicle carrying the Chhattisgarh Police's elite counter-insurgency unit, the District Reserve Guard (DRG), was destroyed by a massive Improvised Explosive Device (IED) weighing nearly 70 kilograms, according to police officials. The attack occurred near Ambeli village around 2:30 PM while the DRG team was returning to their base after a day-long operation. This is the deadliest Maoist assault in the region since April 2023, when a similar attack resulted in the deaths of 10 security personnel.

Details of the Attack

“The DRG personnel were returning to the neighboring Dantewada district when the IED explosion took place. They had been deployed in the dense forests of South Abujhmarh in Narayanpur district for the past two days as part of a combing operation,” said Bastar Range Inspector General (IG) P. Sundarraj. “During this operation, five insurgents were neutralized, and DRG Head Constable Sannu Karam tragically lost his life.”
Footage from the scene showed the profound impact of the explosion, with a large crater formed where the ground had been blasted inward. The vehicle was completely shattered, broken into several pieces by the force of the blast. This attack follows a series of successful encounters carried out by security forces, which have resulted in the deaths of more than 200 insurgents since January 2024.

Condolences from the Union Home Minister
Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed his condolences over the loss of the DRG personnel. “I am deeply saddened by the news of the loss of DRG soldiers in an IED blast in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of the brave soldiers. It is impossible to express this grief in words, but I assure you that their sacrifice will not go in vain. We are committed to eradicating Naxalism from the land of India by March 2026,” he said.

IED Likely Planted Months Ago
An investigation into the attack suggests that the IED was possibly planted months earlier and was detonated remotely from a distance of around 300 meters. Authorities believe the Maoists who triggered the blast may have been hiding in the surrounding foliage. Security personnel recovered a 300-meter-long wire, which is believed to have been used to set off the device.​