PATNA, India: At least 13 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel including two officers were killed and more than a dozen injured in an attack by Maoist rebels in central India on Monday.
The incident took place in Sukma district of the Indian Chhattisgarh state.
A top CRPF official said that more than 1,000 CRPF personnel from 223 and 206 Battalion were on area domination operation on Monday when Maoists laid an ambush and opened indiscriminate firing.
The official said that those CRPR personnel killed in the attack also included two officers, a deputy commandant and an assistant commandant.
“Thirteen CRPF men have died in a Maoist ambush near Kasalpara village of Sukma district today. The deceased personnel include two officials of the CPRF posted in Sukma,” the additional director general in Chhattisgarh R.K. Vij said.
An exchange of fire also occurred between the CRPF personnel and Maoist rebels following the attack.
Deeply saddened and disturbed to know of 13 CRPF men being killed by the Naxals during an ongoing encounter in Chhattisgarh.
— Rajnath Singh (@BJPRajnathSingh) December 1, 2014