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New Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
IED blast kills CRPF ASI in Odisha forest weeks after Maoists looted explosives
ROURKELA: An Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of the Jharkhand-based 134 CRPF battalion was martyred in an IED blast on Saturday early morning along the Odisha-Jharkhand border during a joint combing operation against Maoist operatives. The explosion occurred in the Banko forest under K Balang police station limits of Rourkela Police District (RPD), about 95 km from Rourkela, in Sundargarh district of Odisha. The martyred ASI, Satwan Singh (34), belonged to the 134 CRPF battalion stationed in West Singhbhum district of neighbouring Jharkhand. The blast site has remained tense, especially as it comes in the wake of the banned CPI (Maoist) operatives hijacking a truck and looting industrial explosives from the same Banko forest on May 27. After several years of relative calm, Naxal-related violence has resurfaced on the Odisha side of the border. Sources said that following the blast, the critically injured CRPF personnel was rushed to Apollo Hospital in Rourkela around 9:30 am, where he succumbed to his injuries around 11 am. DIG of Police (Western Range), Brijesh Kumar Rai, said, 'During the joint combing operation, an IED blast occurred around 5:45 am in the connecting Banko forest with the Saranda forest along the Odisha-Jharkhand border, in which a CRPF jawan was injured and later succumbed.' He added that the Odisha-Jharkhand border has been put on high alert and security has been further beefed up. Both DIG Rai and Rourkela SP Nitesh Wadhwani visited the hospital. SP Wadhwani said the anti-Maoist operation would continue with necessary safeguards. Following the explosive truck loot on the morning of May 27, security forces from Odisha, including SOG and DVF personnel, along with their counterparts from Jharkhand—CRPF, CoBRA and Jharkhand Jaguar—have been conducting intensified search and anti-Naxal operations in the Maoist stronghold of the dense Saranda forest in West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. The hijacked truck was believed to be carrying nearly five tonnes of industrial explosives. During the ongoing operations, around 3.8 tonnes of the explosives have been recovered from different parts of the Saranda forest.
Hans India
a day ago
- Politics
- Hans India
CRPF jawan martyred in IED blast during anti-Naxal Operation in Odisha's Saranda forest
New Delhi: In a tragic incident, a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan was martyred during an anti-Naxal operation in the dense Saranda forest region of Odisha on Saturday, underscoring the persistent threat posed by Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in several parts of India despite significant gains made in recent years. The deceased, ASI Satwan Singh of the CRPF's 134th Battalion, sustained critical injuries after an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by Naxals detonated during a routine search and combing operation by the force. ASI Satwan Singh was immediately evacuated to a private hospital in Rourkela, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment. The incident comes at a time when the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has intensified its fight against Naxals and counter-insurgency operations against cadres of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) and other Maoist insurgents in the Red-belt corridor. Security forces have been targeting hideouts, intercepting movement routes, and working to dismantle logistical support networks used by Maoist cadres. The Saranda forest, spread across the Odisha-Jharkhand border, has been facing the brunt of Naxalism for several years. While security operations have significantly reduced Naxal presence in many areas, pockets like Saranda continue to witness sporadic violence and pose operational challenges to forces deployed on the ground. Earlier, on June 13 Odisha Police arrested two dreaded cadres of the proscribed Communist Party of India (Maoist), each carrying a reward of Rs 3 lakh on their heads, an official said. The arrests took place in the Mathili area of Malkangiri district during the early hours of Friday. The arrested Maoist ultras were identified as Kesa Kawasi of Darba police limits in Bastar district and Sanu Kunjam alias Rakesh, (ACM, AOB military platoon section-01). Kesa is the Area Committee Member (ACM) of Kanger Ghati Area Committee of Bastar region while Rakesh works as the ACM in Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) Military platoon Section-01 of the banned CPI (Maoist) outfit. It is worthy to note here that Home Minister Amit Shah had earlier announced that,"We are confident that Naxalism will be completely eradicated by March 31, 2026." The Home Minister's statement on the eradication of Naxals in the country gains prominence as the country is witnessing a huge spike in such counter-Naxal operations in the last few months.
