Bhubaneswar: Four BSF officers, including a
Commanding Officer, were today killed in an IED blast by
suspected Maoists in Malkangiri district of Odisha.
The BSF squad was targeted at around 1 PM in the Janbai
area of the district, under Chitragonda police station area,
465 kms from here, and its jungles are a Naxal hotbed as it
touches the borders of two other states-- Andhra Pradesh and
Chhattisgarh, making it a corridor for Maoists.
According to initial reports, the officers were returning
in their vehicle after attending a meeting with the district
administration.
The victims have been identified as Commandant (107
battalion) G R Khaswan, his Second-in-Command Rajesh Sharan,
Inspector Ashok and Assistant Sub-Inspector and radio operator
of the squad Jitendra.
A Border Security Force (BSF) company is located in the
area where the blast occurred.
The area witnesses a huge inter-state movement of armed
Maoist cadres, a senior official said.
PTI
First Published: Friday, February 10, 2012, 15:46