Three personnel of the District Reserve Guard (DRG), including an inspector, were killed and another jawan sustained injuries after an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district on Saturday. According to police officials, the blast occurred while the team was attempting to defuse the explosive during a demining operation.
The incident took place in a forested area near the Narayanpur district border, under the jurisdiction of the Chhotebethiya police station. A DRG unit had been deployed to locate and neutralize IEDs allegedly planted by Naxalites in the region. During the operation, the personnel identified one such device, which exploded as they attempted to defuse it.
Inspector Sukhram Vatti and constables Krishna Komra and Sanjay Gadhpale succumbed to their injuries at the scene. Another constable, Parmanand Komra, was critically injured in the blast and is currently undergoing treatment at a medical facility.
Inspector General of Police for Bastar Range, Sundarraj Pattilingam, stated that security forces had, in recent months, successfully recovered and defused hundreds of IEDs across the Bastar region. This effort was aided by intelligence inputs, including information provided by surrendered Maoist cadres.
“However, in today’s unfortunate incident, the IED accidentally exploded while the Kanker district police team was trying to defuse it, resulting in the death of three personnel and serious injuries to one,” he said.
The explosion marks the first reported incident of Naxalite-related violence in the state since the government declared the country free from armed Maoists at the end of March.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had, on March 30, announced in the Lok Sabha that India was nearing the complete eradication of Naxalism. During a debate on the country’s fight against the insurgency, he asserted that Maoism was on the verge of ending and paid tribute to civilians and security personnel who lost their lives in the conflict.
Shah had also emphasized that Naxalism was not linked to development but was instead driven by an armed struggle for power. He noted that regions like Bastar had long suffered due to the shadow of insurgency, which hindered development, but added that the situation was now improving.
Despite claims of significant progress in curbing Naxal activity, Saturday’s incident highlights the persistent risks faced by security forces operating in insurgency-affected areas, particularly during hazardous demining operations.
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