KUMUD JENAMANI
Jamshedpur, May 11: A CRPF jawan was injured seriously as the motorcycle he was riding rolled over an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) in a forest stretch under the Goelkera thana area in West Singhbhum district about 160 km away from here on Thursday afternoon.
Identified as CS Mani, the injured jawan is a constable posted at the CRPF’s 160 battalion and has been air-lifted to a Hospital from Chakradharpur a little while after the explosion took place.
The IED was triggered at Ichahatu village in the Kolhan forest division, which is presently in the grip of the outlawed naxal outfit CPI-Maoist.
According to police, following an intelligence input that a sizable number of naxals were sighted at Ichahatu village, police and paramilitary forces had begun a search operation today. In view of the ongoing operation, the CRPF jawan CS Mani along with another colleague wanted to chip in and ventured out from their camp at Saytaba to Ichahatu. But the bike was blown up as it rolled over a pressure IED.
As a result of the explosion, both Mani and his colleague were flung apart along with the motorcycle, causing the former to sustain grievous injuries.
According to police, soon both the jawans were taken to Chakradharpur railway hospital where they were administered first-aid. But as Mani was seriously injured, he was shifted to a Ranchi-based hospital by pressing a helicopter service.
It may be mentioned here that a large number of Naxals, including several senior ones have sneaked into the Kolhan and Porahat forest divisions in West Singhbhum district since January this year.
The Naxals have anchored into the dense forests having planted IEDs at the strategic points inside, putting a great challenge before the police.
So far about 18 paramilitary jawans were injured after falling victim to the IEDs as the police have begun a concerted operation to flush the Naxals out from those two forest divisions since January 11.
Significantly, about half-a-dozen villagers have been killed due to the IED blast so far.
