S.K. Das of the 211 battalion was leading a combing operation at Khallari village in Dhamtari district, Chhattisgarh.

An assistant commandant of the central paramilitary force, CRPF, was killed on Saturday afternoon in a Maoist ambush at Khallari village, about 10 km from Nagri town in the Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh.

Police sources told The Hindu that the assistant commandant, S. K. Das of the 211 Battalion, was killed while leading a combing operation in the area. A Maoist platoon of about 30-40 members opened fire at the CRPF company.

Exactly a week ago, several Maoist companies came together to ambush a convoy of Congress leaders in the State's Bastar district, killing 27 people including PCC chief Nand Kumar Patel, his son Dinesh, Congress leader Mahendra Karma and ex-MLA Uday Mudliyar and injuring 32 others, including former Union Minister V.C. Shukla.

Since last Saturday’s ambush in the Jeeram area of Darbha, Maoists have carried out several attacks, including two on an ex-member of the anti-Maoist civilian militia Salwa Judum.