C’garh: DRG Jawan Killed, 3 Others Injured in Maoist IED Blast

Raipur: A jawan of district reserve guard (DRG) was on Monday killed and three others injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast, triggered by Maoists, in Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar.

The incident took place during an anti-Naxal operation by the security forces in the Indravati National Park area in Bijapur district, police said.

The slain jawan, identified as Dinesh Nag, inadvertently stepped on an IED planted by Maoists, leading to its explosion.

While the jawan died on the spot, three others sustained injuries, the police said.

The three injured jawans were evacuated from the encounter site and shifted to the district hospital in Bijapur.

They were said to be out of danger.

Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai condemned the killing of the jawan and said his sacrifice will not go waste.

With the killing of the jawan, the number of security personnel slain by Naxals in Bastar this year so far went up to 20.

Last year, 20 security personnel were killed in Naxal attacks in Bastar.

The ‘Maoist corridor’ between Maharashtra and Telangana passes through Indravati National Park in Bijapur district in south Bastar of Chhattisgarh.

Security forces have launched at least four major counterinsurgency operations in the Indravati National Park area in the last eight months, leading to the death of 44 Maoists.

In another development, security forces have recovered a dump of arms and ammunition along with a cash of Rs 16.5 lakh following an encounter with Maoists in a forest near the village of Gobra under Manpur region in east Chhattisgarh district of Gariaband on Sunday, police said.

This is perhaps the biggest cash haul recovered in a Maoist dump in Chhattisgarh, police said.

The arms and ammunition recovered in the Naxal dump included INSAS rifles, country-made guns, pistols, revolvers, magazines of AK 47, SLR, INSAS and .303, along with detonators, pressure cooker IEDs, laptop and a walkie talkie, police said.