Maoists fire on Dantewada massacre probe team

Raipur: A team probing the Dantewada massacre came under fire from Maoist guerrillas on Saturday in the Chintalnar forest of Chhattisgarh, near the site where 76 security personnel were brutally killed by leftwing rebels April 6. There were no casualties.

The probe team headed by EN Rammohan, former director general of the Border Security Force, was fired upon in the Chintalnar forest, some 500 km south of capital Raipur. The firing took place nearly 4 km away from the spot of the April 6 massacre.

Dantewada massacre: Former BSF director general starts probe

"Maoists fired a few shots from a distance on the probe team," Amresh Mishra, Dantewada district superintendent of police, said over phone.

"The police guarding the team returned fire. There is no casualty or injury," he said.

Mishra said the guerrillas escaped into the forest after the exchange of fire. "It's difficult to say how many Maoists were involved in the firing," he added.

India mulls using UAVs against Maoists

The former BSF chief reached Chhattisgarh on Saturday to probe the Dantewada massacre. He is scheduled to interact with senior officials of the state police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) posted in restive Bastar region to find out the exact reason for what went wrong on April 6.

Chhattisgarh Director General of Police Vishwa Ranjan and CRPF Special Director General Vijay Raman are also accompanying Rammohan, a 1965 batch Indian Police Service officer, who is expected to complete the probe by April 24.