CRPF arrests 10 Naxals involved in Sukma attack

Among 10 Naxals apprehended, one is a juvenile. Representational Image/ Courtesy: PTI

NEW DELHI: In a major breakthrough, the CRPF has arrested 10 suspects in an anti-Naxal operation for their alleged involvement in a a dastardly attack on the CRPF personnel in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district. Among 10 Naxals apprehended, one is a juvenile. At least 25 CRPF personnel were killed and seven wounded in the deadliest ambush by Naxalites of security forces this year. Around 300 heavily armed Maoists, including women, ambushed a CRPF contingent in a forested patch in Chhattisgarh last month. The attack took place on the personnel of the CRPF's 74th Battalion as they were assisting the local population in road building and clearing activity in the district. The incident was highly condemned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister, who assured action against the perpetrators of the 'cold-blooded murder' in Sukma. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the Central and the State Government would work together to ensure that the perpetrators were brought to book. Singh, who paid homage to the jawans during a wreath laying ceremony in Raipur said that this cowardly and unfortunate act exposed desperation and frustration. This was the worst attack by Maoists in Chhattisgarh since 2010 when 76 CRPF troopers were killed. Twelve CRPF men were killed in a similar Maoist attack in Sukma on March 11. The incident comes at a time when the country's largest paramilitary force is without a full-time chief after K Durga Prasad retired on February 28.