Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan Visits Family of CRPF Jawan Killed in Sukma Blast

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], June 25: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan visited the house of CRPF Cobra unit jawan Vishu R, who lost his life in an IED blast in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma on June 23. The Chief Minister offered his condolences to the bereaved family members and relatives.

The mortal remains of the CRPF jawan were brought to his house in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. Two jawans of the CRPF CoBRA 201 battalion lost their lives in an IED blast by Naxalites between Silger and Tekulagudem, under the limits of Jagargunda Police Station in Sukma district, on Sunday, June 23. The other jawan was identified as Shailendra (29), who hailed from Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai also expressed grief on Sunday over the deaths of the two security personnel due to the IED blast carried out by Naxalites in Sukma district. The Chief Minister described the Naxal attack as a ‘cowardly act out of frustration’ due to the ongoing Naxal eradication campaign in Bastar.

In a post on X, the Chhattisgarh CM wrote, ‘Sad news is coming about the death of two CoBRA soldiers in the IED blast carried out by Naxalites in Tekalgudem of Sukma district. I pray to God for peace to the souls of the deceased soldiers and to provide strength to their families.’

‘The Naxalites are frustrated with the ongoing Naxal eradication campaign in Bastar and are perpetrating such cowardly acts out of frustration. The martyrdom of the soldiers will not go in vain; we will not stay silent until naxalism is eradicated,’ CM Sai wrote.

The CoBRA battalion is a specialised force established to undertake operations of guerrilla and jungle warfare, specifically tailored for addressing the Maoist insurgency. According to officials, the incident occurred at 3 pm on Sunday, when these jawans were on road opening duty from Camp Silger under the Jagargunda police station area to Camp Tekalgudem. The blast of the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by Naxalites claimed their lives. The IED was planted by Naxalites on the way from Camp Silger to Tekalgudem to harm security forces.