Raipur: In a major attack, nearly 800 armed Naxalites killed 26 villagers and injured over 70 people, besides kidnapping 20 others in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh.
IG Intelligence, Chhattisgarh, Giridhari Naik said that his troops reached the area as soon as they got report of the trouble and were able to drive back the Naxals.
However, the Naxals managed to kidnap over 20 people, including a woman Special Police Officer, from the camp.
Ironically enough, the camp was set up for about 4000 villagers trying to escape the Naxal threat.
Naik said that the attack was a part of the Naxal campaign against police stations, relief camps and government machinery in the state.
He also added that the injured have been given treatment.
"About 800 naxalites simultaneously attacked a CRPF post and a state government run relief camp at Errabore at 0100 hrs IST killing," official sources from Konta block of Dantewada district said.
Naxalites first attacked the CRPF camp so as to engage the security forces and then they raided the relief camp and carried out blasts and opened indiscriminate firing, besides setting on fire the huts of the camps at Errabore relief camp, about 40 km from Konta block headquarters, sources said.
Dantewada district Collector K R Pisda said security forces are combing the area to trace the kidnapped villagers.
"We are not ruling out the fact that the 20 people kidnapped may have been killed for Naxalites do resort to such practices," he said
Three buses have been arranged to take the injured to Konta block headquarters.
State Home Minister Ram Vichar Netam will leave for the spot with senior police officials in a plane once the weather is clear, police said.
However, the state and district police headquarters expressed inability to provide details saying Erranore police station has no telephone.
Terming the as a "desperate act", Centre on Monday offered all possible assistance to the state government in dealing with the situation.
"The Home Ministry condemns the incident and is anguished that innocent people have been targeted. The Ministry is in touch with senior officials of the state Government and has promised all possible help," a Ministry spokesman said.
According to the information available with the Home Ministry, 26 people were killed, 21 injured and some were missing following the attack, he said.
(With inputs from PTI)
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