CRPF trooper killed in Chhattisgarh Maoist attack

Raipur, April 5 (IANS) A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper was killed on Friday and another injured in a gun battle with the Maoists in Chhattisgarh's Dhamtari area, the paramilitary force said. Head Constable Harish Chandra Pal, 44, a resident of Bhopal and Constable Sudhir Kumar were evacuated to a city hospital. During operation, Pal succumbed to his injuries, a CRPF statement said. Kumar is stable. The two sustained bullet injuries when Maoists opened fire on the paramilitary patrol party moving in the forested area as part of their area domination operation that started on Wednesday, the statement added. The gunfight began around 4 a.m. in deep forest of Saleghat in the Borai area, in which the Masoists also faced "heavy loss", the statement said. The incident took place a day after four Border Security Force (BSF) personnel were killed in a Maoist ambush in Kanker district of the state.
--IANS rak/in