Chhattisgarh reassigns eight IPS officers to strengthen anti-Naxal operations

The Chhattisgarh government has issued fresh postings to eight Indian Police Service (IPS) officers and deployed them on the anti-Naxal operations duty in the state, officials said on Wednesday.

The development comes after Akash Girepunje, the additional superintendent of police (ASP-Konta division) in Sukma district, lost his life in a Naxal-planted IED blast on Monday.

All the eight transferred IPS officers, belonging to the 2021 batch, were posted as city superintendents of police (CSP) in different districts, a government official said, adding the state home department issued the transfer order on Tuesday.

As per the order, Surguja CSP Rohit Kumar Shah has been posted as Additional Superintendent of Police (anti-Naxal operations) in Sukma district, and CSP Jagdalpur (Bastar district) Udit Pushkar as ASP (anti-Naxal operations) in Dantewada district.

Korba CSP Ravindra Kumar Meena and Raipur CSP Aman Kumar Raman Kumar Jha have been posted as ASPs (anti-Naxal operations) Bijapur district.

CSP Jagdalpur Akash Shrishrimal will be ASP (anti-Naxal operations) Bhanupratappur in Kanker district, it said.

CSP Civil Lines Raipur Ajay Kumar and CSP Bilaspur Akshay Pramod Sabadra have been posted as ASPs (anti-Naxal operations) in Narayanpur district.

Besides, Raigarh CSP Akash Kumar Shukla has been posted as ASP (anti-Naxal operations), Special Task Force, Baghera in Durg district.

On Monday, ASP Girepunje was killed and two other police officers were injured after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by Naxalites exploded at a stone quarry near Dondra village in Sukma district.