Dantewada, Feb 11 (IANS): A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan was injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast near Kamalpost in the Aranpur area of Dantewada on Tuesday morning, officials said.
The incident occurred when personnel from the CRPF’s 231 Battalion were conducting an anti-Maoist search operation in the region. As the team moved through the area, an IED -- believed to have been planted by Maoists -- detonated, injuring a jawan in the leg.
Following the blast, the injured soldier was initially taken to the Dantewada District Hospital for medical attention. Given the severity of his injuries, he was later airlifted to Raipur via an M-17 helicopter from the Karli helipad for advanced treatment.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) R.K. Burman confirmed the incident and said that security forces are maintaining vigilance in the area to prevent further attacks.
The blast comes just two days after a major encounter between security forces and Maoist insurgents in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, where 31 Maoists were gunned down during an intense gun battle inside the dense forests of Indravati National Park.
Two security personnel lost their lives in the operation, while two others sustained injuries.
The security forces also recovered a large number of firearms, including AK 47 rifles, Self Loading Rifles and INSAS, and grenade launchers from the encounter site.
According to Chhattisgarh Police, so far this year, 49 Maoists have been killed in the state in separate encounters. Of them, 33 were killed in the Bastar division that comprises seven districts, including Bijapur.
On January 20-21, the police said, 16 Maoists were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Raipur division's Gariaband district.
Last year, 219 Maoists were neutralised by security forces in separate encounters in the state, according to the police.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had earlier said that Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) in the country will be eradicated by March 2026.
Consequently, security forces have been conducting operations in the Bastar region, which has long been a stronghold of Maoist activity.