Efforts to eradicate Naxal influence in Jharkhand continue with a search operation in the Saranda forest, West Singhbhum district. On Friday, the focus was on combing the dense areas of Tiralposi and Digha in the Jaraikela region. During this operation, an IED explosion resulted in injuries to two CRPF soldiers. The injured personnel are from the Cobra 209 Battalion and have been identified as Ram Pravesh Singh and Chhotu Kachhap.
Both soldiers were severely injured in the blast and were swiftly airlifted from the Saranda forest to Raj Hospital in Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, for urgent medical care. Medical sources indicate that their condition has stabilized and they are no longer in critical condition. Following the admission of the injured soldiers to the Ranchi hospital, CRPF IG Saket Singh and Ranchi Range IG Manoj Kaushik visited to offer their support.
As part of the same operation, security forces also destroyed three Naxal bunkers in Saranda, West Singhbhum district, and seized various supplies used by the Naxals.
The search operation was launched on August 7 by a combined team of Chaibasa Police and the Cobra 209 Battalion, following intelligence suggesting Naxal activity in the Jaraikela police station area of West Singhbhum. During the operation on Friday, the security forces destroyed three bunkers built by the Naxals near Hedekuli.
The IED explosion occurred during the search operation, specifically between Tiralposi and Digha, injuring Ram Pravesh Singh and Constable Chhotu Kachhap, both members of the CRPF Cobra 209 Battalion. They were subsequently airlifted from Saranda forest to Raj Hospital in Ranchi for treatment.
This incident follows a previous event on April 12 in which an operation against Naxals in the Chhotanagra and Jaraikela areas of Saranda forest, West Singhbhum, resulted in an encounter between security forces and Naxals. An IED planted by the Naxals detonated, leading to the loss of life of Jharkhand Jaguar jawan Constable Sunil Dhan and causing serious injuries to Cobra 203 Battalion Head Constable Vishnu Saini.