Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Akash Rao Giripunje of Konta Division was leading a team to a crusher plant that had been torched by Maoist insurgents. He was accompanied by Konta Sub-Divisional Police Officer Bhanupratap Chandrakar and Station House Officer Sonal Gwal. As the team began surveying the area, a pressure-activated IED detonated near the site, causing a powerful blast that hurled the officers several feet away.
ASP Giripunje, critically wounded in the explosion, succumbed to his injuries at the scene. SHO Sonal Gwal and other personnel sustained injuries and were shifted to the local hospital for treatment. Security forces were immediately dispatched, and area domination operations are currently in progress.
According to officials, the Maoists deliberately staged the attack by first targeting heavy machinery at the crusher plant, anticipating that police personnel would arrive the next morning. The trap was part of a broader tactical pattern designed to ambush law enforcement officers. The incident coincided with a nationwide bandh call issued by the CPI (Maoist) for June 10, prompting heightened alert levels across Maoist-affected regions.
Sources indicate that ASP Giripunje had embarked on a foot patrol early Monday as part of pre-emptive security arrangements when the patrol team triggered the concealed explosive device on the Konta–Errabore road near Dondra. Multiple senior officers in the Bastar Range have expressed deep condolences and lauded Giripunje’s service in a region known for complex insurgent challenges.
ASP Akash Rao Giripunje, described as a dedicated and courageous officer, had been instrumental in various counterinsurgency operations across the southern Chhattisgarh. His death is being seen as a major loss to the Chhattisgarh Police and a grim reminder of the dangers involved in anti-Maoist fieldwork.
Maoist landmines and IEDs remain a serious challenge and a critical obstacle for security forces in southern Chhattisgarh. Dense forests, difficult terrain, and gaps in local intelligence often enable Maoist operatives to plant deadly explosives along patrol routes and public roads. Despite technological advancements in detection and tracking, landmine warfare continues to take a heavy toll on security personnel, posing one of the most persistent threats in Chhattisgarh’s counterinsurgency operations.
