3 civilians, 1 jawan killed in IED blast in Chhattisgarh

Raipur: Three civilians and a CISF jawan were killed on Thursday when suspected Naxals blew up a bus with an improvised explosive device (IED) in poll-bound Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district, police said.

Two personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) were also injured in the incident, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pallava told PTI.

The explosion took place in a hilly area in Bacheli in Dantewada when the personnel were returning to their camp after purchasing groceries from market, he said.

The civilians killed in the blast included the bus’ driver, conductor and cleaner, Pallava said.

The personnel belonged to a CISF unit that has been deployed in the area for the first phase of the forthcoming polls in the state.

Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in Chhattisgarh next week in two phases on November 12 and November 20.

The first phase is to be held in the Naxal affected constituencies of Bastar region that falls in the southern part of the central Indian state.