West Singhbhum 22 Feb: Two personnel of the 209 CoBRA battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force were injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast during an anti-Naxal operation in West Singhbhum district on Saturday, officials said.
The incident took place in the dense Saranda forest near Chadri Dera village under the Chhota Nagara police station limits. A joint team of district police and CRPF was conducting a search operation against cadres of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) in the insurgency-affected region.
During the operation, a security personnel accidentally stepped on a pressure IED allegedly planted by Maoists, triggering a powerful explosion.
West Singhbhum Superintendent of Police Amit Renu said one CRPF jawan sustained serious injuries and was taken to a hospital, while another suffered minor injuries.
“One CRPF jawan was seriously injured and taken to a hospital. A person also sustained minor injuries. The injured personnel are receiving proper medical treatment and efforts are being made to ensure they recover safely,” he said.
The injured personnel were initially provided primary treatment and later airlifted to Ranchi for advanced medical care, officials said.
Following the blast, security forces cordoned off the area and intensified combing operations amid suspicion that multiple IEDs may have been planted in the forest region.
The district administration has appealed to villagers not to venture into deep forest areas unnecessarily and to immediately inform the police about any suspicious objects or movement.
Further operations are underway in the area.
