RAIPUR: Additional Superintendent of Police Akash Rao Giripunje was killed in a brutal Maoist ambush on Monday in the Konta region of Sukma district, after stepping into a deadly trap involving a burning vehicle used as bait. Despite suffering catastrophic injuries—losing both legs in the blast—he remained conscious, calmly instructing his team to alert senior officers and arrange for blood before he succumbed to his wounds.
The incident began late Sunday night when Maoists set a poclain machine on fire near Dondra village along the Konta-Errabore road. The machine’s owner reported the arson to the Sukma SP early Monday. ASP Giripunje, who was preparing for his morning workout at his Konta residence, decided to personally inspect the scene with his team.
Around 3.5 km from Konta, the officers advanced on foot for about a kilometre off National Highway 30. It was there that the hidden IED exploded.
“Even after the blast, he was conscious. He told us to inform the SP and to get blood arranged for him,” a jawan at the site told a local reporter.
Sukma SP Kiran Chavan confirmed the severity of the injuries, noting that the blast had destroyed both legs, leading to massive blood loss. “He survived for 15–20 minutes after the explosion and was alive when brought to the hospital, but we lost him soon after,” Chavan said.
ASP Giripunje, 42, was a 2013-batch officer of the Chhattisgarh State Police Service and had been awarded the Police Gallantry Medal in 2019 for his courageous service. Known for his fearless leadership, he was leading the foot patrol that responded to the arson—unaware that it was a pre-planned ambush.
Two other officers—Konta DSP Bhanupratap Chandrakar and Inspector Sonal Gwalla—were also injured in the blast.
Just a week earlier, Giripunje had returned from Raipur after celebrating his son’s birthday, a memory now cherished by his grieving family.
Investigators believe the Maoists deliberately set fire to the machine to lure security forces into the booby-trapped area. Preliminary evidence suggests the IED was planted soon after the arson, indicating meticulous planning behind the attack.
Giripunje’s death marks the third instance of an ASP being killed in a Maoist IED attack in Chhattisgarh, following similar tragedies in 2001 and 2011. His sacrifice adds to the toll of officers lost in the long fight against insurgency in the red zone.
