Four BSF personnel, including a commandant and assistant commandant, were killed on Friday afternoon and two others seriously injured in a Maoist ambush at Janiguda, under Chitrakonda police limit in Orissa’s Malkangiri district, nearly 650 km from here.
The deceased were identified as Commandant J.I. Jaiswal of the BSF’s 107 Battalion, Additional Commandant Rajesh Saral, inspector Ashok Yadav and jawan Jitendra Shah.
Two BSF jawans, Bishnu Pani and Surendra Pati, who were also travelling with the victims, sustained serious bullet injuries and were rushed to the Malkangiri district headquarters hospital. A few civilians, including two employees of the state water resources department — B.C. Nayak and Sukant Behera — were also injured in the ambush.
The police said the rebels attacked when 18 BSF personnel were returning to Malkangiri in three Mahindra Bolero vehicles after supervising force deployment in villages under Chitrakonda police limit for the first phase of panchayat polls, scheduled for Saturday.
When the first vehicle reached Dyke 3 near the Chitrakonda reservoir, the rebels triggered a powerful landmine.
The intensity of the blast was so strong that the vehicle flew several metres into the air and broke into pieces. The ultras, who were hiding nearby, immediately opened fire on the BSF. The 12 other BSF personnel following the ill-fated vehicle immediately retaliated.
After an hour-long gun battle, the rebels retreated into the forest. Sources said a few rebels were killed in the gun battle. However, the bodies of the slain Naxals were taken away by their comrades.