Raipur, July 12 2009: Thirty-six police personnel including a Superintendent of Police were killed on Sunday (July 12) in ambushes and landmine attacks by Maoists in three separate incidents in Rajnandgaon in a fresh wave of violence in Chhattisgarh.

In one of the worst Maoist attacks in the state, Rajnandgaon SP Vinod Kumar Choubey was killed when he was leading police reinforcements for Madanwada, where the naxals had killed two policemen in the morning, after being ambushed between Khoregaon and Karkoti village, according to the Deputy Inspector General of Police (Naxal) Pawan Dev.

Rajnandgaon is about 90 km from Raipur.

The Maoist-triggered violence which has already claimed 148 lives in Chattisgarh this year occured at Madanwada, Khoregaon area and Sitagaon under Manpur police station.

After the SP's team was ambushed, there was intense firing and in the gunbattle Choubey and 23 other policemen lost their lives, Dev said.

In a separate attack, the naxalites set off landmines and ambushed another team of policemen which had left Sitagaon for Madanwada after getting news of the morning's attack in Madagaon.

Four policemen were killed in this incident, the DIG said.

The CRPF rushed 600 of its men to the site of attacks.

The troops, belonging to Rajnandgaon-based 188th battalion of the force and equipped with mine detection kits and rescue equipment, were rushed to the spot to start combing operations against the banned Maoists militants.

"A battalion strength (around 1,000 men) of the force is being sent to the spot for starting combing operations and sanitizing the area.

Six companies (comprising 600 men) have been sent initially," a senior CRPF officer said.

The Station House Officer (SHO) of the Madanpara police station area, near the ambush site, was also killed in the attack, official sources said.

Additional reinforcements and communication equipment will also be sent as the CRPF troops will set up a temporary camp there, the sources added.

Security forces in helicopters were scouring the area to hunt for the rebels and looking for the bodies of the policemen, sources said.

Dev said the two jawans who were killed at Madanwada had left their camp for ablutions in the morning when they were targeted by the ultras.

The DIG said DGP Vishwaranjan and senior police officials have rushed to the spot.

The bodies of the policemen are being brought by helicopter to the Manpur police station and the SP's body has been sent to Rajnandgaon.

The state unit of Congress demanded imposition of President's rule in Chattisgarh for the alleged failure of the BJP government to tackle the Maoist menace.

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