Teenage boy injured in IED blast in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur

A 15-year-old boy, Ram Potam, was injured by a pressure IED planted by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district. He received medical attention at a CRPF camp and district hospital. Security forces launched a search for additional explosives

Bijapur: A 15-year-old boy was injured when a pressure improvised explosive device (IED) planted by Naxalites went off in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Monday, police said.

The incident occurred in the morning at a forest in Lendra-Korcholi under Gangaloor police station limits when the victim, a resident of Korcholi village, had gone there, a police official said.

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The boy, Ram Potam, inadvertently came in contact with the pressure IED, which exploded, causing injuries to his legs, the official said.

He was taken to a camp of the Central Reserve Police Force’s (CRPF) 222nd battalion, where he was provided preliminary treatment, and later shifted to Bijapur district hospital for further medication, he said.

Security personnel launched a search in the area to check if more IEDs were planted there, the official said.

Maoists often plant IEDs on dirt tracks to target security personnel who use such routes during anti-Naxal operations inside forests. Civilians have fallen prey to such traps laid by ultras in the past in the Bastar region, police said.

Last year, 46 persons lost their lives in Maoist violence, including pressure IED blasts, in the Bastar region comprising seven districts, including Bijapur.