Dantewada Naxal blast: Three jawans were shot dead, reveals DG CRPF

New Delhi: Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) K Durga Prasad on Friday asserted that out of the seven jawans who had died, four were killed by an IED bomb blast in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, while three were shot dead by Maoists afterwards.

"These were three people who were having bullet injuries, but we were not sure whether they were alive or not. The intensity of the blast was very high and Maoists came back to check whether they (CRPF jawans) had weapons or if anybody was alive. The three people were shot in their head and chest by the Maoists," Prasad said.

The seven CRPF personnel were part of the force`s 230 Battalion. They were killed by an IED bomb blast that was triggered by the Naxals.The three-vehicle CRPF convoy was returning to its base camp after a search operation when it was ambushed by Maoists near the Basaras-Kuakonda axis in Melawada village.

Dantewada, 350 kilometres south of the state capital, is part of the mineral-rich Bastar region - a Maoist stronghold and the site of frequent clashes with security forces.Maoists operate in at least 20 states but are most active in the forested areas of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.