7 Naxals gunned down after landmine attack kills 11 CRPF men

RAIPUR: Seven Maoists were gunned down in "retaliatory action" by security forces after Naxals blew up a truck, killing 11 CRPF personnel in Chattisgarh's Dantewada district, police said on Sunday.

Eleven CRPF personnel died while 11 others, including the truck's driver and cleaner, sustained serious injuries when the vehicle which was bringing them back to Tonagapal, was blown up in a landmine blast at Kokanara village yesterday, nearly 375 kms from here, Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, T J Langkumer said.

Security personnel, who were travelling in another truck and jeep ahead of the ill-fated vehicle, retaliated, gunning down seven Naxals.

All the bodies have been recovered, the IG said. After police received information that the Naxals had burnt down a truck involved in road construction work near Kokaner village, a 53-member joint police-CRPF team reached the area yesterday.

They were returning on two trucks and a jeep when the convoy was attacked by the naxals, who blew up one of the trucks and exchanged fire with the personnel, police said

The injured have been admitted to a hospital in Jagdalpur.

Condemning the Naxal attack, Chief Minister Raman Singh said the government had taken serious note of the "cowardly and inhuman" action of the extremists.

"No democratically elected government can tolerate such violence," he said and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families.