A well-rehearsed plan by the Maoists, coupled with an exhausted force which was on intensive search operations in the dense forests for three days, led to the massacre of 76 Central Reserve Police Force personnel on early Tuesday in the Naxalite hotspot of Dantewada.

Another reason being cited is the alleged complacency on the part of the security personnel. There has been no major Naxal violence in the region for the last four months, particularly after operation ?Green Hunt? was intensified in the forest areas of Dantewada. During the last four months, security forces had gunned down 46 rebels and arrested many CPI (Maoist) cadres, including four self-styled commanders.

While the rebels were in fact lying low, there has been talk among the security forces that the Maoists might have gone to West Bengal or other states because of the pressure mounted by the forces. In Dantewada alone, nearly 12,000 security personnel, including four battalions of CRPF, two battalions of Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB), one battalion of Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF), are deployed for operations.

But how has there been no damage on the Maoist side, particularly when there was a heavy presence of more than 80 security personnel?almost the size of a company?at the spot in the forests between Chintalnar and Tadmetla?

Chintagufa camp?s CRPF personnel?who lost colleagues in Tuesday?s incident?are tight-lipped. However, one of the security personnel pointed towards the accurate planning of Maoists saying that many of them could not even take position to fire at the Maoist groups.

?In the forests, one has to take cover of the trees to take position. They knew it very well. By the time the security personnel did so, there were blasts near the trees?, a CRPF constable said.

Pramod Singh, an injured constable undergoing treatment for bullet injuries at a hospital in Jagdalpur, said ?we were tired after two days of continuous search operation in the forest. After taking rest at place near Tadmetla, we began proceeding towards Chintalnar when a large number of Maoists unleashed a surprise attack. As we were tired, we could not put up much resistance to Maoists, who outnumbered us.?

Another injured constable Baljit Singh said he was in the rescue party, which was trying to rescue the injured security personnel.

Except in a few isolated pockets, there is no habitation in an area of about 30 square km around Chintagufa forests, where the security forces, mostly from outside the state, are fighting Maoist guerillas.