Overview

• Nine people, including eight security personnel and a civilian driver, were killed in an IED blast in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, marking the deadliest Maoist attack in the state since 2023.
• The explosion targeted a vehicle in a convoy returning from an anti-Maoist operation, with the IED reportedly containing 50-70 kg of explosives buried over five feet deep.
• Allegations of lapses in standard operating procedures (SOPs) have surfaced, including claims of insufficient road sanitization and inadequate deployment of Road Opening Party (ROP).
• Five of the slain security personnel were former Maoists who had surrendered and joined the District Reserve Guard (DRG), a frontline anti-Naxal force in the Bastar region.
• Authorities are investigating how the IED evaded detection and whether alternative travel methods, such as using motorbikes instead of SUVs, could have mitigated the loss of lives.