Raipur: On Monday, Additional Superintendent of Police Akash Rao Giripunje was killed during a Maoist-related IED blast in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, showing that the region is still at risk from Naxal violence.
During a patrol in the Dondra village area, a 2013-batch officer named Giripunje came across the incident while leading the team. The police team, along with the Subdivision Deputy Superintendent and Town Inspector, was working on preventive operations ahead of the Bharat Bandh called by the CPI (Maoist) on June 10. Just after 8 a.m., an IED that was set off by pressure killed Giripunje and injured three people, two of whom were a Deputy Superintendent and a Station House Officer.
At Konta Hospital, damaged security forces brought the patients, and Giripunje lost his life due to his injuries. Apart from Ashok Kumar’s assault, another officer called Sonal Gwala, as well as other police, are said by Inspector General P. Sundarraj to be undergoing treatment and are currently reported stable. Members of ASP Giripunje were on the front line to avert Naxalite incidents. According to Sundarraj, the loss of this person is heartbreaking.
Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma remembered Giripunje by calling him a valiant soldier who had won several gallantry honours. The losses we have experienced are huge. Search procedures have been launched, and Sharma explained that it followed false news of burning buildings in Konta, most likely meant to entrap security forces. State’s Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai described the explosion as a brutal act of those frustrated by government campaigns against Maoists.
Resignations came from Naxals (about 18) a few days later, on May 27th, due to the influence of the state’s Niyad Nellanar rehabilitation Program. The death toll from recent IED attacks in the region is high, with nine soldiers killed earlier this year and 11 killed last year, which proves the recurring danger. X’s social media accounts indicated that many people were saddened, and one user, @FrontalForce, referred to Giripunje as a martyr while urging authorities to take a firmer stance against Naxals.
The East India Sukma blast reveals that there are still many difficulties for the security forces in Maoist-dominated parts of Chhattisgarh. While conducting more searches in the area, the authorities are urged to tackle Naxal activity and ensure the safety of people in Bastar.