Five personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), including an officer, were injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast caused by Naxals in Bijapur district, Chhattisgarh, on Sunday morning. The incident occurred around 7 a.m. in the Tarrem police station area while the CRPF’s 153 battalion was conducting a de-mining exercise.
Details of the Incident
The squad, deployed from the Chinnagelur CRPF camp, was engaged in locating and disposing of IEDs when they discovered a wire connected to a pressure-triggered IED. As they attempted to investigate the source of the wire, the device exploded, resulting in splinter injuries to five personnel.
The injured CRPF members suffered injuries to their faces, eyes, and abdominal areas. They received preliminary treatment at the scene before being transported to Raipur, the state capital, approximately 430 km from the incident site.
Injured Personnel
The injured personnel include:
- Assistant Commandant Vaidya Sanket Devidas
- Inspector Sanjay Kumar
- Constables B Pavan Kalyan
- Lochan Mahato
- Dhole Rajendra Ashruba
Ongoing Anti-Maoist Operations
This incident comes shortly after a recent encounter on September 24 between security forces and Naxal cadres in the Karkanguda jungles of Sukma district. Just a day prior, three Naxalites, including a woman, were killed during a confrontation with security forces in Narayanpur.
Earlier in September, security personnel successfully recovered three IEDs from different locations within Sukma district. During a road security operation targeting the Salatong security camp under the Kistaram police station, a team from the 217th battalion of the CRPF and its elite unit, C-208 CoBRA battalion, unearthed two tiffin IEDs weighing 5 kg and 3 kg, respectively.
Conclusion
The CRPF remains heavily deployed in Chhattisgarh to conduct anti-Maoist operations, highlighting the ongoing challenges posed by Naxalite activities in the region. Authorities are continuing to investigate the blast and ensure the safety of their personnel during these critical operations.
