A jawan of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) sustained injuries on Wednesday when an improvised explosive device (IED), planted by Naxals, exploded in the Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh. The blast occurred around 3:30 pm near the Kodepal rivulet, while a team from the CRPF's 196th battalion was conducting an area domination operation from its Chinnakodepal camp.
According to police officials, the incident took place when the patrolling team was in the process of cordoning off the area. Unfortunately, a member of the CRPF's Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) team accidentally stepped on the pressure-triggered IED, which resulted in the explosion. The blast caused injuries to the jawan’s legs, and he was immediately rushed to the Bijapur district hospital for medical treatment.
Following the attack, a search operation was launched in the area to locate and neutralize any remaining threats. The Maoists, active in the Bastar region, have often used IEDs as a deadly tactic against security forces. These devices are typically planted along roads and dirt tracks, targeting security personnel during their patrols in remote forest areas. Civilians, too, have fallen victim to such traps in the past.
This attack comes just days after a similar incident in Narayanpur district, where a 25-year-old man was killed and another injured on April 4 due to a pressure IED blast. In addition, the region has witnessed several other deadly attacks, including a March 30 explosion that claimed the life of a 40-year-old tribal woman in Bijapur. On February 15, a CRPF commando from the CoBRA unit was injured in a pressure IED blast in the same district, and earlier in February, another CRPF jawan was injured in Sukma district in a similar attack.
The use of such explosives by Naxals continues to pose a significant threat to the security forces, as well as to the safety of local civilians in the insurgency-hit regions of Chhattisgarh. The authorities remain vigilant and continue their efforts to combat Naxal violence while ensuring the safety of both security personnel and the public.