Congress Questions Whether Tribal Civilians Were Targeted; How Were the Identities of Those Killed Confirmed?
Raipur
In a 24-day-long operation conducted in the hills of Karregutta on the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border, security forces eliminated 31 Naxals, including 17 women and 14 men. The forces also destroyed four arms manufacturing units and a Naxal-run hospital.
In a press conference at Bijapur on Wednesday, Chhattisgarh DGP Arun Dev Gautam stated that four weapons factories were discovered, and ammunition along with a sniper rifle were recovered from the Naxal hideout. He said the Naxals had fortified an area to serve as a hospital for treating top cadre members, which was also destroyed during the operation.
“The Naxals never imagined that anyone could reach them after crossing 500 IEDs, but we did it. They had confidence in the inaccessibility of their ‘impregnable fortress,’ but our forces broke through,” he said.
He further explained that a team was formed after collecting technical field inputs. The intelligence was analyzed over 24 hours before launching the operation. Forces climbed and descended the hills and diffused the IEDs placed along the path.
Troops were first briefed, and then the operation was launched. A base camp and a helipad were set up at the hilltop. In a joint press conference, CRPF DG G.P. Singh and Chhattisgarh Police DGP Arun Dev Gautam shared details of the success and challenges of ‘Operation Karregutta’.
Meanwhile, before the officials could address the media, Naxal Central Committee member and spokesperson Abhay issued a statement acknowledging the death of 26 of their comrades. In the leaflet, he also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking, “Respected Modi Ji, is your government ready for peace talks or not? Please clarify.” Abhay has made an appeal for dialogue.
The Naxal operation that began on April 22 along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border has now entered its 24th day. So far, 31 Naxals have been killed. However, more than eight security personnel have been injured due to IED blasts. The Congress party has raised several questions regarding the operation.
