Gadchiroli (Maharashtra), May 1 (IANS): Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district and surroundings have been the hotbed of Maoist activities for several decades. In the past 10 years, the rebels have attacked security forces and civilians several times. A Timeline:
Feb. 1, 2009: Maoists ambush a police patrol, killing 15 personnel, in the forests near Morke village in the Dhanora sub-district.
May 21, 2009: In a guerilla-style attack, the Reds attack a police party, killing at least 16 police personnel, including five women, in Murum village in Dhanora.
Oct. 8, 2009: The rebels and police were engaged in a bloody three-hour gunbattle near Laheri in Bhamragad sub-district in which 17 policemen were killed, including some from the elite C-60, the commando unit of Anti Naxal Operations (ANO). It ranks as the worst-ever attack by Maoists on police personnel and took place at the height of the 2009 Maharashtra Assembly elections.
Oct. 4, 2010: Maoists attack and killed four policemen by triggering a landmine explosion near Pirimili village in Aheri sub-district.
Oct. 8, 2010: The rebels lob grenades at a school in Sawangaon village and kill 15, mostly minor students.
May 5, 2011: At least six persons killed as the outlaws trigger a landmine blast on a wedding party proceeding from Rajnandgaon (Chhattisgarh) to Chandrapur (Maharashtra), near Dhanora when they were passing the Gadchiroli forests.
May 19, 2011: In two separate incidents, Maoists kill four police personnel of a patrol party in Bejurphata and Nargonda, both in Bhamragad and around 25 km apart.
Aug. 8, 2011: Two troopers were wounded when Naxals suddenly opened fire on a police patrol which was accompanying a civilian team of the Children and Women's Rights Commision to the Gadchiroli headquarters after attending a function in a local village.
Aug. 20, 2011: Three security personnel, including two troopers of the Cobra Battalion of the CRPF, killed in an encounter in Makadchua village.
Mar. 27, 2012: 12 commandos of the elite combat team of CRPF killed and 28 others injured as Maoists trigger a landmine blast on a convoy in the Dhanora sub-district area for patrolling duties.
May 1, 2019: In a huge tragedy on the 59th anniversary of Maharashtra Day, 15 commandos and a driver of the elite C-60 force killed when Maoists trigger an IED blast on their vehicle in Kurkheda sub-district.
Earlier, the Maoists had attacked a road construction site and torched around three dozen heavy vehicles and two site offices of a contractor near Dadarpur village.
These attacks came after the Maoist groups had observed a week of mourning to mark the first anniversary of the killings of their 40 comrades on April 22, 2018 and days after Gadchiroli-Chimur Lok Sabha seat recorded the highest voting in the elections held in April 2019.
