In a significant development, security forces have unearthed a 130-metre-long and six-foot-deep tunnel constructed by Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur on Tuesday. Such tunnels provide both offensive and defensive advantages in guerrilla warfare.
While it is the first time such a tunnel has been discovered in Bijapur, there were inputs for over a year about the Maoists using this as a strategic move, said informed sources.
The well-concealed tunnel with an opening of four to five feet was discovered by the members of a police patrolling party from neighbouring Dantewada in Tadopot — a Bijapur village along the district’s border with Dantewada — around 11 a.m.
According to the police, the team comprising CRPF and DRG jawans was fired upon by the Maoists who used Barrel Grenade Launcher (BGL) and assault rifles. The security forces retaliated but the Naxals decamped taking advantage of forest cover. After the encounter, when the force was recovering arms and ammunition left behind, the tunnel was spotted.
“While santising the area post the encounter, the forces recovered spikes and a pressure cooker bomb, like an Improvised Explosive Device [IED]. One of our DRG jawans spotted something unusual and alerted his colleagues. When the materials used to cover the pit [wood, bushes and soil] were removed, we found that the ground was dug up. Such tunnels can be used as both hideouts and even to launch attacks, or for storage purposes,” said Gaurav Rai, Superintendent of Police, Dantewada.
Mr. Rai acknowledged that the discovery of the tunnel indicated the presence of more and had emerged as a new challenge in the anti-Naxal combat, and added that the forces need to be more alert.
Police sources added that the forces were equipped with radars that detect whether the ground had been dug up or not. Such devices are used in both military and mining operations across the globe. However, considering a large part of the Maoist-affected areas in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh are covered with forests, human resources will be key in locating more such tunnels.
Three killed in encounter
In a separate incident, reported few hours after the discovery of the tunnel, three security personnel were killed, and 15 others were injured in an encounter with Maoists along the Bijapur-Sukma border, underscoring the ongoing security challenges in the region.
