Bijapur: Naxals release picture of CRPF commando who went missing after gunfight

A day after purportedly releasing a statement claiming that they abducted a jawan during a recent gun battle with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, the Maoists on Wednesday released the picture of missing Central Reserve Police Force’s Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) commando Rakeshwar Singh Minhas.

Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P told media “The authenticity of the statement issued by Maoists claiming that they have held hostage the jawan is being verified. Further. In the meantime, the wife of the CRPF jawan said that her family wants the government to look for a mediator so that her husband could be released.

“If a jawan reports to his duty a day after his leave ends, action is taken against him. Now that a jawan is missing since April 3, no action has been taken by the government. We want the government to search for a mediator so that he is released,” said Meenu.

Twenty-two personnel from various security forces like the CoBRA of the CRPF, its Bastariya battalion and those from the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Special Task Force (STF) of the Chhattisgarh Police were killed in the ambush that occurred along the Bijapur-Sukma border on Saturday.

Rakeshwar Singh Minhas, who belongs to the 210th CoBRA battalion, went missing after the gunfight that started after a joint team of CRPF and Chhattisgarh Police’s DRG and STF personnel reached the spot following the tip-off regarding the presence of wanted Maoist Madvi Hidma and his associates. Hidma reportedly heads the Peoples Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) battalion no 1.