Raipur: A miner was killed and another injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast set off by Naxalites in Narayanpur, Chhattisgarh, about 350 km from the state capital Raipur. The blast occurred at the Aamdai Ghati iron ore mines around 10.45 am on Friday, when the miners – identified as Dilip Kumar Baghel and Harendra Nag – were out for a break.
Both were rushed to a hospital in Chhote Dongar and then shifted to the district hospital in Narayanpur, where Baghel succumbed to his injuries. Nag’s condition is stable, doctors said. Authorities have called this a dastardly act by the rebels who are under relentless attack by security forces.
Jayaswal Neco Industries Ltd was allotted the iron ore mine at Aamdai Ghati. Naxalites had been opposing mining activity in the area for long. On February 5, this year, a miner was injured in a blast set of by the Maoists. Two of them were killed in an explosion in November 2023.
Combing operations by security forces began around Aamdai Ghati, soon after the blast but an official said that the rebels must have fled after setting up the IED. It exploded when the miners accidentally came in contact with it.
Security forces have scaled up operations against Maoists in Chhattisgarh over the last several months. The Naxalites retaliated by killing civilians after branding them as informers. In 2024, nearly 68 such ‘informers’ were murdered by the rebels, primarily in the Bastar region of the state.
“Since January 1, 2025, at least 83 Maoists have died in encounters with security forces in Chhattisgarh. Of them, 67 have died in the Bastar region. Eleven security personnel and a civilian driver also lost their lives in a massive IED blast set off by the rebels. Our operations against the Naxalites will continue till we succeed in wiping out the menace,” the official added.
