A police jawan has been killed and three other personnel have been injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, according to officials. The incident, which highlights the persistent threat of Maoist insurgency in the region, occurred on Monday morning.
The Maoist-planted IED detonated while a team from the District Reserve Guard (DRG), a specialised state police unit, was engaged in an anti-Naxal operation in the vicinity of Indravati National Park. DRG jawan Dinesh Nag was killed in the explosion, and three of his coworkers were injured. The injured personnel are currently being evacuated from the dense forest to a medical facility for additional care after receiving initial medical attention following the explosion.
Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma condoled the death of Jawan Dinesh Nag. Speaking on the incident, Sharma said, “Three other jawans were injured in the blast but are now out of danger. The state government stands firmly with the families of the martyred jawan and those injured.” He added that a search operation is underway in the area, and another encounter with Naxalites is possible.
This is not the first such incident in the area recently. Just last week, on Thursday, another DRG official was injured when a pressure IED, also planted by Maoists, went off in the same district. That incident took place in a forest in the Indravati area under the Bhairamgarh police station limits.
A joint team of the DRG and the Special Task Force (STF) was on an anti-Naxal operation when Sub-inspector Prakash Chatti, a member of the DRG, accidentally stepped on the pressure IED, which triggered the explosion and injured his right ankle. He was given immediate treatment and then referred to a higher medical center, where his condition was reported as stable and out of danger.
Also Read: Seven Naxals killed in Bijapur anti-Maoist drive
In a separate operation, security forces successfully recovered a 10 kg IED that had been planted by Maoists in the Tarrem police station area of Bijapur, preventing a potential tragedy.
Adding to these developments, security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband district recovered a significant cache of explosives on Sunday. This discovery followed a gunfight and was made possible after four Maoists, who collectively had a reward of ₹19 lakh on their heads, surrendered to the authorities.
Acting on a tip-off provided by one of the surrendered Maoists, an anti-Naxal operation was launched on Monday morning. The team located a Maoist dump in a forested hill on Gobra road. Four BGL rounds, a hand grenade, fifteen INSAS rounds and a magazine, fifteen gelatin rods, fifty detonators, an SLR rifle magazine, and a sizeable sum of money totaling ₹16.50 lakh were among the items found.
These results highlight the security forces' continuous efforts to neutralize the Maoist threat in the area and seize their assets.
Also Read: Jharkhand: Maoist killed in encounter with security forces
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