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    Gadchiroli blast: Questions raised on SDO Shailesh Kale’s request

    Synopsis

    “The SDPO ordered the police party to be sent immediately. What was the pressing need,” asked Jitesh Kodap, brother of Laxman Kodap, one of the 15 cops killed.

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    Blast spot where Police personals died in an IED blast triggered by Maoists, in Gadchiroli.
    GADCHIROLI: Details emerging on the Maoist attack in Gadchiroli seem to indicate the tragedy could have been averted if security forces had followed standard operating procedure. According to a source, members of the quick response team were rushed in a private mini tempo with their backpacks placed on the van’s makeshift roof, after sub divisional officer Shailesh Kale visited Kurkheda police station and asked for help in completing formalities of an arson case in Purada police station.

    The bags on the vehicle indicated the vehicle was ferrying police personnel. A road opening party that has to mandatorily accompany troops in Maoist areas was not in service either. The errors have come out in the preliminary probe into Wednesday’s blast that killed 16.

    “The arson spot was hardly two km from Purada and cops from the said station could have reached there on foot. Ideally, the work should have been done by Purada police station. There is no clarity why the SDPO pressed the QRT team from Kurkheda, 15 km away, to carry out the police formalities,” an official told ET. “Also in Maoist areas, if arson is reported, the practice is not to press police immediately to avoid an ambush,” the official added. “The backpacks helped those relaying information to bombers to give minute-by-minute update on the movement of the vehicle,” a police officer said. Kale was not reachable for comment.

    Families of the martyrs have demanded an inquiry. “The SDPO ordered the police party to be sent immediately. What was the pressing need,” asked Jitesh Kodap, brother of Laxman Kodap, one of the 15 cops killed.


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