Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar, 1983 batch IPS, appointed new DG CRPF

Delhi: Two days after the deadly Naxal ambush in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar, a 1983 batch IPS officer, was on Wednesday appointed new Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) DG.

The country's largest paramilitary force was without a full-time chief after K Durga Prasad retired on February 28.

25 CRPF jawans were killed by Naxals on Monday.

A party of about 36 troops, out of the total 99, came under the first assault after they had ventured out from Burkapal to sanitise and provide protection to a 5.5-km long road construction work connecting Chitagufa in the Sukma district, officials said.

The Maoists squad "very discreetly with the aid of locals" kept tracking the movement of the troops when one party of 36, out of the total three, sat down for launch, the strong squad of Naxals, possessing sophisticated weapons, took them by surprise and rained heavy gunfire, they said.

The ultras also used some improvised 'explosive-tipped' arrows to take aim on the CRPF men.

A huge assortment of 22 smart arms, including 13 AK series assault rifles and 5 INSAS rifles, 3,420 live rounds of various calibre, 75 magazines of AK rifles, 31 of INSAS, 67 live UBGL rounds, 22 bullet proof jackets, two binoculars, five wireless sets and a deep search metal detector were also looted by Naxals, they said, as per PTI.

A top CRPF officer said the slain troops had just "finished their lunch" and were possibly not fully alert, while other officials said "some of them were having their lunch" when the attack was launched around 12:30 pm.

While the slain 25 men and about six others who were injured, tried to gather their weapons or take aim at the marauding Naxals, the others on the guard duty mounted an effective retaliation and saved about 40 civilians and construction workers who were present in the vicinity of the area during the deadly assault that lasted over an hour.

(With Agency inputs)