Chhattisgarh: BJP MLA killed in attack by Naxals in Dantewada
Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada attacked a convoy of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders on Tuesday evening. BJP MLA from Dantewada, Bheema Mandavi, who was also part of the convoy, was among those killed in the attack. Apart from Mandavi, four others were killed in the attack carried out by Naxals only two days before the Lok Sabha elections begin. Here are more details.
Here are some pictures from the Dantewada Naxal attack
Bheema Mandavi's vehicle hit by an IED blast
P Sundar Raj, DIG (Anti-Naxal Operations) has confirmed that the Dantewada MLA has been killed in the Naxal attack. MLA Bheema Mandavi's vehicle, which was the BJP convoy's last vehicle, was reportedly hit by an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) blast carried out by the Naxals. Following the IED blast, the Naxals opened fire, said reports.
CRPF has rushed reinforcements to the attack site
Following the Naxal attack, CRPF personnel have been rushed to the attack site in Shyamgiri in Dantewada. CRPF stated, "Between Kuakonta and Shyamgiri in Dantewada, the convoy of BJP MLA Bheema Mandavi came under an IED attack today. The escort vehicle of State Police came under the blast. 5 personnel of Chhattisgarh State Police are critically injured. Reinforcement of CRPF has been rushed."
Bodies to be evacuated at earliest for identification: Sundar Raj
P Sundar Raj stated, "We have information of BJP MLA Bheema Mandavi, his driver, and 3 PSOs getting killed in IED blast in Dantewada, today evening. It was a powerful IED blast. Bodies to be evacuated at the earliest for identification."
Here's a statement by Sundar Raj confirming Mandavi's death
Mandavi and other BJP leaders were campaigning for LS polls
A group of BJP leaders, including MLA Bheema Mandavi, was campaigning in Dantewada for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections when the ultras targeted their convoy. 40-year-old Mandavi had defeated Devti Karma of the Congress in the Dantewada constituency in the Assembly polls held last year. Lok Sabha elections in Chhattisgarh will be held in three phases: 11 April, 18 April, and 23 April.
