Kanker, May 2 (PTI) Four police personnel, including an inspector of the District Reserve Guard (DRG), were killed after an improvised explosive device (IED) went off while they were trying to neutralise it during a demining operation in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district on Saturday, police said.
This was the first blast incident linked to Naxalite activity in the state since it was declared free from armed Maoism on March 31. It was also the first instance this year in which security personnel engaged in anti-Naxal operations have lost their lives.
The explosion occurred around 11.30 am in a forest area of Aadnar village under Chhotebethiya police station limits, near the Narayanpur district border, when a joint team of security personnel was conducting a demining operation to locate and defuse IEDs planted earlier by Naxalites, Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range Sundarraj Pattilingam told PTI.
Based on the inputs received from surrendered Maoist cadres and other intelligence over the past few months, security forces had recovered and neutralised hundreds of IEDs planted earlier by Naxalites across the Bastar range, which comprises seven districts including Kanker, he said.
Saturday’s operation was launched following similar inputs about Maoist dumps in the Chhotebethiya area. The team, led by the DRG, also included personnel from the Bastar Fighters and the district force, he said.
During the operation, the team first detected a Maoist dump and recovered materials belonging to the ultras. Around 11.30 am, they found another dump containing an IED concealed beneath the ground, he said.
However, the explosive went off while personnel were attempting to retrieve it for defusal, critically injuring four personnel, the official said.
Inspector Sukhram Vatti (40) of the DRG, who was leading the team, constable Krishna Komra (35) of the district force, and constable Sanjay Gadhpale (29) of the Bastar Fighters succumbed to their injuries on the spot.
Another injured constable, Parmanand Komra (29) of the Bastar Fighters, was airlifted to Raipur but died during treatment at a hospital there, he added.
While Inspector Vatti was a resident of Bijapur district, the three other personnel hailed from Kanker district.
A Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) was also present at the site. Prima facie, it appears that the IED may have exploded due to an accidental circuit connection while being retrieved, the official said, adding that a detailed ballistic and forensic examination is underway to ascertain the exact cause of the blast.
Security forces have launched a search operation in the area, he said.
Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma termed the incident as “very tragic” and said the entire government stands firmly with the families of the martyred police personnel.
Based on the intelligence inputs, security personnel went to recover a Maoist dump and successfully located it containing explosives, he said.
“They handled the device according to standard procedure, but the nature of its manufacturing was such that it triggered a powerful explosion, in which four personnel were martyred. This is a very tragic incident,” he told reporters in Nava Raipur.
“I am deeply saddened by the loss. I pray to God for peace to the departed souls. The entire government stands firmly with the bereaved families,” Sharma added. PTI COR TKP ARU NP
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