Two of the 22 jawans who were killed in an encounter with Naxals in Chhattisgarh on Saturday hailed from Assam.
The jawans have been identified as Bablu Rabha from Dudhnoi and Dilip Kumar Das from Bajali. Both the jawans belonged to the elite unit of CRPF — CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action).
Das is survived by his wife and two daughters. He has served as a jawan since March 2001.
Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and cabinet minister Himanta Biswa Sarma condoled the martyrs' deaths.
Bodies of 17 of the 18 jawans have been recovered from the site of the skirmish, police said on Sunday.
Eighteen jawans were missing after five security personnel were killed and 32 others injured in a forest along the border between Bijapur and Sukma districts in Chhattisgarh.
The dead include personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action), the District Reserve Guard (DRG), and the Special Task Force (STF) were involved in the operation launched from five places – Tarrem, Usoor and Pamed (in Bijapur), and Minpa and Narsapuram (in Sukma).
With inputs from PTI and TOI.
