Posted on 07/13/2009 3:35:43 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
Maoist rebels killed at least 30 policemen, including a senior officer, in two separate ambushes on Sunday in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, police said.
Both attacks took place in Rajnandangaon district, 56 miles from the state capital Raipur, the deputy inspector general of police in charge of operations against the Left-wing rebels said.
In the first attack, the guerrillas shot dead two policemen on patrol in the area and then ambushed a security reinforcement team sent to investigate the incident, Pawan Dev said.
"In all, 26 policemen were killed in the attack including superintendent of police VK Choubey," he added.
In the second ambush, Maoists shot dead another patrol team of four policemen, Dev added.
Meanwhile, a Press Trust of India report said New Delhi was sending 600 paramilitary personnel to Chhattisgarh to hunt down the rebels responsible.
Sunday's attack comes a month after 11 special police personnel were killed in a landmine blast triggered by Maoists in Chhattisgarh, where the Left-wing rebels are based.
In April the rebels took more than 300 passengers hostage in an audacious attack in the neighbouring state of Jharkhand.
The authorities have been criticised for the apparent ease and confidence with which the rebels are allowed to operate.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Slain SP had survived two Naxal attacks, won 2 gallantry awards - July 14, 2009 - Facing Naxal attacks was not new to Superintendent of Police Vinod Kumar Choubey. A few years ago, he had been shot at and injured by Maoists in Balrampur in Chhattisgarh’s Sarguja district, bordering Jharkhand. Later, as SP, Kanker, he survived a Naxalite ambush in the state’s tribal Bastar region.So when he heard Naxals had killed two policemen in the remote forest area of Madanwada in Rajnandgaon on Sunday morning, the officer reacted as he had always been known to do: personally lead his men into battle. It was to be the last of his many fearless campaigns.
Choubey, SP, Rajnandgaon, twice winner of the President’s Police Medal for Gallantry, perished along with 23 of his men in a massive Maoist attack at village Kerketti, close to Chhattisgarh’s border with Maharashtra.
The 49-year-old IPS officer left behind his wife Ranjana and son Swamil, who is studying to be an engineer.
Whew...thought it said Indiana...
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