A soldier of the Central Reserve Police Force was critically injured on Monday after stepping on an improvised explosive device during an anti-Naxal operation in the dense Saranda forest of West Singhbhum district, officials said.
The incident took place during an ongoing search operation in the Chaibasa region. Security forces are working to flush out Maoist cadres hiding in forested areas.
The soldier reportedly triggered a pressure-activated IED planted along a forest track commonly used by patrol teams, leading to a powerful explosion.
The injured soldier sustained severe injuries and was immediately evacuated from the site. He was later airlifted to Ranchi and admitted to a specialised medical facility for treatment.
Officials confirmed that operations in the Saranda forest are continuing, with intermittent encounters reported between security forces and Maoist groups.
The increasing use of IEDs by insurgents remains a significant challenge, particularly in dense forest zones where detection is difficult.
Maoist groups have intensified the use of explosives in recent months following setbacks inflicted by security forces.
In January, forces neutralised 17 Maoists in a major operation in the region, weakening the insurgent network.
Intelligence inputs indicate that Maoists have since planted a large number of IEDs along forest routes and approach roads to target personnel.
Series of Recent Incidents
The Saranda belt has recently witnessed multiple such incidents.
Between February and March, at least three major IED blasts were reported. These incidents resulted in one civilian death and injuries to two COBRA Battalion personnel.
On March 1, an Assistant Commandant of the COBRA unit, Ajay Mallick, was critically injured in a similar explosion during a combing operation in the same area.
Following the latest blast, a high alert has been issued across Chaibasa and adjoining Naxal-affected regions.
Security forces have intensified area domination, route sanitisation, and search operations to detect and defuse explosives. They are also maintaining pressure on Maoist formations.
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