On Wednesday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath paid homage to those who died in the Naxal attack in Gadchiroli, Maharashtra and said that the sacrifice of the 15 police personnel will be avenged by killing at least 100 Naxals. "This is a battle of the entire country and 130 crore countrymen are with our brave jawans," he said in an election rally in the state.
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"Our 15 jawans sacrificed their lives but in return, we will kill at least 100 Naxals," he further added. At least 16 persons, including 15 security personnel, were killed in an IED blast triggered by Naxals in Gadchiroli district. The explosion followed Naxals torching 25 vehicles belonging to a road construction contractor earlier in the day.
The two incidents come on a day when Maharashtra was celebrating its foundation day. The Maoists were in the final stages of observing a week-long protest to mark the first anniversary of 40 of their members who were gunned down by security forces on April 22 last year.
Earlier this month, CRPF personnel had engaged with Naxals in an encounter in Gadchiroli. On April 9, five people including a BJP legislator and four security personnel were killed in a Maoist-triggered IED blast in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district.
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