At least one jawan was killed and another seriously injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast by Naxalites in Kanker district of Chhattisgarh.

On 24 November, a group of 150 Naxalites set ablaze 25 vehicles in Kanker and called for a shutdown the next day. They were protesting against the killing of Naxal commander Podia earlier in the day. The Chhattisgarh Police had gunned down Podia in Kesapur village of Dantewada district.

The development comes after Naxal commander Podia was gunned down by the police in Kesapur village of the restive Dantewada district at 1pm on Tuesday (24 November).

A group of about 150 Naxalites have set afire 25 vehicles in Kanker and called for shutdown in the region on Wednesday, reports said.

The development comes after Naxal commander Podia was gunned down by the police in Kesapur village of the restive Dantewada district at 1pm on Tuesday.

Chhattisgarh is one of the Indian states that is highly affected by Naxalism. The Naxalites in the state often target security forces and even the locals.

In October this year, a land mine blast left two soldiers of Central Reserve Police Force injured Basaguda area of tribal Bastar division in Bijapur district. The Bastar division is one of the worst Maoist-affected regions in Chhattisgarh.

Sukma district is the worst affected area of all the Naxal-affected regions in Chhattisgarh. It has, for a long time, been the centre of Maoists' violent activities as they keep targeting security forces, politicians and even locals.

In April, seven personnel of Chhattisgarh's Special Task Force were killed in a Maoist ambush  in Sukma.

One of the biggest Naxal attacks in the history of Sukma took place in May, 2013. At least 27 people, including former state minister Mahendra Karma, Chhattisgarh Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, senior Congress leader Vidya Charan Shukla, were killed in firing and blasts on Jagdalpur-Sukma Highway.

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