Exclusive: Soldiers recount 4-hour operation in which 29 Maoists were killed

On the evening of April 15, a search team of the Border Security Force (BSF) and the District Reserve Guard (DRG) patrolled in the dense jungle of Hapatola in Kanker district of Chhattisgarh. The personnel came from different command posts and united at one location to carry out one of the largest operations against the Maoists in recent years.

The search and cordon operation, which included a fierce gun battle, lasted for more than 15 hours and left 29 Maoists dead, including top Maoist commander Shankar Rao, with a bounty of Rs 25 lakh on his head. Three personnel were injured – two from the BSF and one from the DRG and the operation was declared a success.

BSF sub-inspector Ramesh Chandra Chaudhary told New Delhi TV how his platoon was the first to come under fire from the Maoists and although he sustained gunshot wounds, he was in the gunfight Still continues to command the troops. Sub-inspector Chaudhry was injured during the operation.

“Action” – planning and execution

“We set out for the operation on Monday night and all the teams were from different posts. By Tuesday morning, we put up a cordon. We got intelligence that Maoists were present in the jungle. We thought Maoists would be present in the jungle “The first point, but they were not there, we searched another location and found cooking utensils and we had information that there were 15 to 20 insurgents on the mountain,” the official said, adding, “We conducted Search to find out their situation. “Finding them, the person in front of the patrol saw movement on the top of the hill, which was an observation post (OP) with two Maoists around it.”

The Maoists are armed with Kalashnikovs, light machine guns, rifles such as INSAS and other automatic weapons. In hard battles, the ratio is usually 10:1, that is, if there is 1 enemy, then at least 10 soldiers are required to attack. Troops of the DRG and BSF carefully planned their climb and surrounded them.

“Our squad camouflaged their surroundings, cornered them, and set up a cordon. We knew they would run for cover, and when they ran to protect themselves, they opened fire, and our squad fired back fiercely. , the dense jungle turned into a battlefield,” Sub-Inspector Chowdhury recalled the outcome of the operation. The police officer hails from Jaipur and his family members are with him in the hospital.

When Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vijay Sharma met the brave soldier at the hospital, he twirled his beard. Despite the injury, the smile never faded from the officer’s face.

“The Maoists used dangerous tactics”

“The gun battle started and I hid behind a tree. They fired back to break the ambush and ran away, but a burst of light machine gun fire hit me in the leg. Even though I was hit, I was able to observe and distinguish my troops and “Tell them that the Maoists are lying on the ground and using automatic weapons, which is a very dangerous tactic they use against us because when you lie down, the target becomes smaller.”

DRG personnel Suryakant Shrimali was also injured in the clash. He recalled how his team laid cordons from both sides to ambush the Maoists.

“We ate fruit”

“We crossed the river and got information that about 25 Maoists were present. We climbed up the hill and crossed a river but could not find them. On Tuesday morning we ate fruits and continued our search. The information we received was In the Alparas forest, there were about 30 Maoists on the hilltop and I was with Tango Company. We set up a cordon and ambushed them. The fighting started around noon and lasted for almost four hours,” Surya said. Kanter told New Delhi TV.

“I was hit in the right leg and it went through. We were determined to get the surgery done and we ended their party. The surgery was a huge success for us,” he added.