CRPF's Bastariya Battalion during a drill at their training centre in Ambikapur town of Chhattisgarh. (Source: PTI)
The run-up to this year's Assembly polls in Chhattisgarh is turning out to be bloodier than the 2013 polls. In the past two weeks alone, Maoist have mounted three attacks, which have led to deaths of seven security personnel and five civilians. In 2013, through September, October and November (when the elections were held), deaths of nine security personnel were reported.
According to data available with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in 2013, during the months of October and November, 76 attacks were launched by Maoists in which nine civilians and eight security personnel died. In 2018, in the last 39 days — October 1 to November 8 — 107 attacks have already been reported, leading to deaths of 11 civilians and eight security personnel.
The polls in Chhattisgarh are scheduled to be held in two phases, on November 12 and November 20. The security establishment fears there would be more attacks till the polls are over.
Sources said this was expected since there is intelligence input of the Maoist leadership putting extra pressure on the cadres to…
