11 security personnel injured as IEDs planted by Naxalites go off in Chhattisgarh

Eleven security personnel were injured when Maoist-planted IEDs exploded during an anti-Naxalite operation in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district. Most injured belong to the DRG, with one CoBRA commando hurt, as forces continue operations in Maoist strongholds

Raipur: Eleven security personnel were injured as improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted by Maoists went off during an anti-Naxalite operation in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, officials said on Monday.

The explosions occurred in the forests of Karregutta Hills on Sunday, a police official said.

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Of the injured personnel, 10 belong to the District Reserve Guard (DRG), a unit of the state police, while one was from the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA – an elite unit of the CRPF), he said.

The injured CoBRA personnel, Rudresh Singh, is a sub-inspector with the 210th battalion, the official said.

Singh and two DRG personnel have sustained injuries to their legs, while three others suffered splinter injuries to their eyes, he said, adding that the wounded men have been admitted to a hospital in Raipur.

In November last year, security forces had set up their camp in Tadpala village under the Usoor police station limits in Karregutta, which was considered a safe hideout for senior Maoists.

The Central and state security forces had carried out a 21-day-long comprehensive operation in dense forests around Karregutta Hills in April-May last year, during which 31 Naxalites were eliminated.

At the time, the forces had seized 35 weapons, 450 IEDs and a large number of detonators, explosive devices, and other materials, including medical supplies, electric equipment, Naxal literature, etc, police had said.