Narrow escape for Andhra cops as Maoists set off landmine

Nobody was injured in the incident.
Narrow escape for Andhra cops as Maoists set off landmine
Narrow escape for Andhra cops as Maoists set off landmine
Written by:

A police party of around 40 personnel who were returning after a two-day combing operation, had a narrow escape, after Maoists reportedly triggered a landmine at Kaligonda forest in East Godavari district.

The incident took place on Sunday.

Chintoor sub-inspector P Srinivasa Kumar, who headed the combing team, told the Times of India, "The blast took place a few metres away from the combing party. None of our team members was injured. The intensity of the landmine blast was low. But it could have killed some of the members.Thankfully, the team is safe.The Maoists have triggered the landmine seeing the police party approaching plain area from the forest."

This comes less than three weeks after seven police personnel were killed and five injured in a landmine blast triggered by suspected Maoists in Odisha's Koraput district.

Police said the incident took place on National Highway 26 at Mungabhumi village under Pottangi police station on the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border, when the personnel were travelling in a van to Cuttack for training.

The Maoists had given a boycott call in Malkangiri district and other extremist-affected districts.

Tensions have been escalated between the outlaws and security forces, ever since an encounter in the Malkangiri forests along the Andhra-Odisha border in October last year, killed around 31 Maoists.

Besides planting several mines across sensitive areas and strongly coming out against the mining of bauxite and other resources in the Agency area, the Maoists have also put out a death threat against Andhra Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

Director General of Police N Sambasiva Rao said a general alert was received from the Union Home Ministry about the increased threat perception in November.

Rao said the police were taking all necessary steps for the Chief Minister's security. He said police kept evaluating the situation and taking additional security measures whenever required.

Currently, Naidu is under 'Z plus' category protection and his security detail includes members from the elite National Security Guard apart from Andhra Pradesh police's Intelligence Security Wing.

Naidu had survived a claymore mine attack by Maoists on October 1, 2003 in Tirupati.

Naidu, who was then the Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh, had sustained injuries in the blast.

IANS inputs

Related Stories

No stories found.
The News Minute
www.thenewsminute.com