Ranchi, April 16: In a shift in tactics, the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) has started using improvised composite command IEDs to target security forces in Jharkhand, according to recent police investigations.
Unlike traditional pressure-activated explosives, these new command IEDs are detonated from a distance using wired triggers. Officials say the change represents a “jugaad technology” innovation by the insurgents to increase lethality while avoiding detection.
The shift was highlighted in two recent incidents in West Singhbhum district, where command IEDs were used in attacks on security personnel.
On March 22, a CRPF officer, Sunil Kumar Mandal, was killed and Jawan PP De was injured in a blast near Marangponga village, under Chotanagra police station limits. Investigators found that the explosive device—crafted from a 15 cm round and 1.1-meter-long pipe—was triggered using a 15-meter-long wire, suggesting remote detonation.
In another incident on April 12, two personnel—a COBRA jawan Vishnu Saini and STF jawan Sunil Dhan—were injured in a blast during operations in the forests bordering Chotanagra and Jhariakela. Dhan later succumbed to his injuries during treatment in Ranchi. Forensic examination revealed 11–12 mm iron rod fragments lodged in their bodies, indicating the use of shrapnel-loaded command IEDs.
According to a confidential police report, several senior Maoist leaders are suspected to be the masterminds behind these developments, including Misir Besra, Anal, Anmol, Ashwin, Mochu, Asim Mandal, Ajay Mahato, Sagen Angaria, Pintu Lohara, Chandan Lohara, Amit Hansda, Jaikant, Rupa Munda, Kishore, Jilani, Munni Surin, Asha, and Mukesh. However, none have been apprehended so far.
“The IED was command-detonated using wires to avoid any immediate trace of Naxalites near the blast site,” a senior police officer said. “They’ve shifted from pressure IEDs to improvised command IEDs to stay undetected and strike with precision.” Security forces are continuing combing operations and surveillance efforts across West Singhbhum and surrounding Naxal-affected zones, as part of an intensified crackdown against Maoist insurgency in the region
