Raipur: An eight-year-old tribal girl was ‘injured’ in the improvised explosive device (IED) blast triggered by Maoists near Cherpal in Bijapur district under Bastar in Chhattisgarh, police said.
Sunita Hemla, student of Class two in a local ‘Pota Cabin’ (makeshift school), stepped on an IED planted by Maoists on the Cherpal-Palnar road under Gangalur police station while going to the local market to buy ration along with her mother on Friday evening, leading to the explosion, police sources said.
She suffered serious injuries in the incident. Her mother also sustained injuries.
“She along with her mother was taken by the Maoists to their medical camp set up in the nearby forest for treatment, soon after the incident”, sources said.
A press release issued by the West Bastar Division Committee of outlawed CPI (Maoist) said that Sunita is alive.
The Maoists also released Sunita’s photograph to support their claim that the girl is alive.
The girl hailed from the village of Tungalbaya Palnar under Gangalur police station.
Police said that the girl is yet to be identified and a probe is on into the incident.
“Prima facie, the report that the girl was injured in the Naxal IED blast has a basis. The girl was taken into the forest by Maoists after she was injured. But, we are trying to trace the girl and her mother", the Bastar range inspector general of police P Sunderraj told this newspaper.
In another incident, a Maoist commander carrying a bounty of Rs one lakh on his head was gunned down late on Friday in an encounter with security forces in the forest of Pusnar under Gangalur police station in Bijapur district.
The slain Maoist has been identified as Toya Potam, a Jan militia (people’s army) commander, police said.
