Bijapur: Three personnel of the Special Task Force (STF) were injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in the Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh on Monday. The pressure IED went off after one of the jawans stepped on it, the police said.
After facing major reverses in the state due to sustained operations by the security forces, the Maoists have now resorted to planting IEDs. This is the third blast in a week.
On Saturday, a member of the CRPF’s Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) unit was injured when a pressure IED planted by Naxalites exploded in the Usoor police station area of Bijapur.
On October 9, a boy was injured in a similar blast in the Gangaloor area of the district.
Monday’s blast occurred in a forest near the Kandlaparti village under Bhopalpatnam police station area when a team of the STF – a unit of the state police – was out on an area domination operation, an official said.
“The security personnel inadvertently came in contact with a pressure IED, triggering the blast, causing injuries. After preliminary treatment, the injured personnel were shifted to the Bijapur District Hospital,” the official said.
A search operation is underway in the area, he added.
Maoists are known to plant IEDs along jungle pathways and dirt tracks to target security personnel on patrol. Such activity has now gone up in the Bastar region, comprising seven districts including Bijapur. Villagers often fall victim in these blasts.
