Kerala CM, Leader of Opposition express condolences over demise of solider killed in Chhattisgarh

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan on Sunday expressed condolences over the demise of CRPF soldier R Vishnu who was killed after Naxalites blew up a truck with an improvised explosive device (IED) in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district. Vishnu was attached to the Central Reserve Police Force’s jungle warfare unit CoBRA.

In his condolence message, Vijayan said he was sharing the grief of the deceased soldier's family members.

Satheesan, in a Facebook post, paid his respects to the departed soldier and said his sacrifice to the country would be remembered forever.

BJP leader and former union minister V Muraleedharan said steps would be taken to bring the mortal remains of Vishnu to his village at the earliest.

According to the Chhattisgarh police, the blast took place around 3 pm near Timmapuram village between Silger and Tekalgudem camps of the security forces, over 400 km from the state capital Raipur.

"Naxalites triggered an IED blast targeting the truck and claimed the lives of constable Shailendra (29), a resident of Uttar Pradesh, and driver Vishnu R (35) hailing from Kerala. The truck did not have any other occupant," Chhattisgarh police said.

After being alerted about the blast, more forces were rushed to the spot and the bodies were removed from the forest, while a search operation continues there, they said.