Dantewada attack: Around 50 kg IED used in blast was planted by Naxalites 2 months ago, say police

The Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P said, “The preliminary investigation suggests that the IED was planted at least two months ago or before it. The grass had grown on the layer of soil under which the wire, which was connected to the explosive, was concealed."

The Chhattisgarh police confirmed on Friday that the powerful improvised explosive device (IED) that exploded in Dantewada, killing ten police officers and a civilian driver, was planted at least two months earlier by Naxalites. The bomb, on the other hand, went "undetected" during a demining exercise a day before the strike on Wednesday, they claimed. 

On Wednesday afternoon, naxalites blew up a multi-utility vehicle (MUV) transporting security personnel in the Aranpur police station area of Dantewada, killing ten members from the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and a civilian driver. 

The incident happened around a km from Aranapur police station, on the route leading to Dantewada district headquarters. 

"According to preliminary findings, the IED was planted at least two months ago or earlier. The grass had grown on the layer of soil beneath which the wire, which was connected to the explosive, was hidden," Sundarraj P, Inspector General of Police (Bastar range), told PTI.  He claims that an explosive weighing 40-50 kg was used and that it was buried 3 to 4 feet beneath the road by building a tunnel from the roadside. 

A demining operation to identify explosives was conducted on the same route the day before the assault, but no IED or suspicious object was found, according to the IG, who added that an inquiry is underway to determine how the bomb went undetected. 

According to authorities, around 200 security officers from the CRPF and the state police's DRG started an operation from Dantewada district headquarters on Tuesday night after receiving information about the presence of Maoists from the Darbha division in the region.  When questioned if there were any violations of the standard operating procedure (SOP), the IG stated that the soldiers used operational techniques. 

The IG further stated that he believes any militia member there, along with locals, might have conducted a reconnaissance on police troops and given on information to Naxalites who detonated the explosives.

(With PTI inputs)