Four DRG Personnel Killed in Blast During Anti-Maoist Operation in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker District
In a tragic incident in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district, four personnel of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) lost their lives on Saturday after an explosion occurred while they were attempting to safely recover and dispose of explosive materials hidden by Maoists.
According to a statement issued by the Bastar police, the team, assisted by the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS), had located a dump of materials concealed in a forested area of Chhotebethiya—once considered a Maoist stronghold and a key entry point to the Abujhmad region from Kanker.
Their mission was to extract the materials and prepare them for controlled disposal.
During the operation, while handling the recovered explosives, a sudden blast occurred. Police believe the explosion may have been triggered by high temperatures combined with a chemical reaction in the firecracker powder stored at the site.
Earlier in the operation, the team had recovered equipment such as computers, monitors, and printers from one dump.
A second nearby cache contained five sacks of firecracker powder, each weighing approximately 15 kilograms.
The substance reportedly included components such as potassium nitrate and barium nitrate, commonly used in explosive mixtures.
The explosion proved fatal for Inspector Sukhram Vatti, Constable Krishna Komra, and Constable Sanjay Gadhpale, who died at the scene.
Constable Parmanand Komra, who was critically injured, was rushed to a medical facility but later succumbed to his injuries.
Sundarraj Pattalingam, Inspector General of Police for the Bastar range, paid tribute to the fallen personnel. He noted that under Inspector Vatti’s leadership, the same team had successfully detected and neutralised several improvised explosive devices (IEDs in previous operations targeting Maoist hideouts.
Officials highlighted that Maoists have long relied on IEDs across the Bastar division, which includes Kanker.
In recent months, however, intensified counter-insurgency operations have led to the recovery and defusal of many such devices, often aided by intelligence from surrendered Maoists.
Describing the loss as deeply painful, the IG said the force remains indebted to the courage and sacrifice of the personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty.
