5 dead, 2 injured in C'garh naxal attack

Dantewada (Chhattisgarh) [India], Nov 8 (ANI): At least four civilians and one Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel were killed after Naxals triggered a blast in a bus near Bacheli in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on Thursday, confirmed district Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Pallav.
Two CISF personnel who were injured in the encounter have been shifted to a hospital for emergency care.
The CISF personnel and the civilians were returing from the Bacheli market in a hired mini bus, which was targeted by the Naxals.
“In the blast, we lost our Head Constable D. Mukhopadhyay. Constables Satish Pathare and Vishal Suresh, who were injured in the blast, are admitted in a hospital for treatment. As per report they were not carrying any weapon when the blast hit the bus. As per reports, it was an IED (Improvised Explosive Device),” DG CISF Rajesh Ranjan told ANI.
The attack comes just days ahead of the first phase of voting for the state assembly elections, scheduled for November 12, in which 18 constituencies, mainly in the Naxal-affected areas, will go to polls.
However, Bastar Inspector General V. Sinha told ANI that the attack will not rattle the morale of the forces, and assured that the upcoming assembly elections will be conducted peacefully. 
Just eight days ago, two Chhattisgarh police personnel and a Doordarshan cameraman were killed in a Naxal attack in Aranpur village of Dantewada district. (ANI)