Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections 2023: One ITBP Jawan Killed In IED Blast Carried Out By Naxalites In Gariaband

ITBP head constable Joginder Singh died in the blast.

Naxal Attack: An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast was carried out by the Naxals targeting the polling party when they were returning from Bade Gobra polling station. ITBP head constable Joginder Singh died in the blast. “The polling party and EVM machine reached Gariaband safely,” said IG Raipur Range Arif Sheikh.

#UPDATE | IED blast was carried out by the naxals targeting the polling party when they were returning from Bade Gobra polling station. ITBP head constable Joginder Singh died in the blast. The polling party and EVM machine reached Gariaband safely: IG Raipur Range Arif Sheikh https://t.co/xNZp28Icpg

— ANI (@ANI) November 17, 2023

The attack took place near Bade Gobra village under the Mainpur police station area when a polling team escorted by security personnel was returning after the voting was over, said a senior police official. The rest of the team safely reached the Mainpur police station, he added.

The IED blast was triggered by Naxals in Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband district where the second phase of polling for the state assembly elections took place on Friday, said the police.

Elections for the 70 seats were held from 8 am to 5 pm but in nine polling booths in the Naxal-affected Bindranawagarh constituency in Gariaband district, it was held from 7 am to 3 pm for security reasons.

Bade Gobra was among these nine booths in Bindranawagarh which borders neighbouring Odisha.

As election officials escorted by security personnel were returning to Mainpur after the polling ended, Naxals triggered a blast that killed head constable Joginder Singh of the ITBP on the spot, said the police official.

The first phase of elections in 20 of the 90 assembly seats in Chhattisgarh was held on November 7.