A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Head Constable, Mahendra Laskar, lost his life after sustaining serious injuries in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast triggered by Maoists in West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand late on Friday evening.
According to information received from the Jharkhand Police Headquarters, the blast occurred in the Saranda Forest area under Manoharpur block during an anti-Maoist operation carried out by personnel of the 60th Battalion of the CRPF.
Three personnel, including an Inspector, were injured in the explosion.
The injured officers — Inspector Kaushal Kumar Mishra and Sub-Inspector Ramchandra Gogi — were airlifted to Rourkela Hospital in Odisha for treatment.
However, Head Constable Laskar, who had sustained critical injuries, succumbed while undergoing treatment, officials confirmed.
Laskar, a resident of Nuagaon district in Assam, will be accorded a guard of honour at the CRPF camp in Ranchi following a post-mortem examination. His mortal remains will then be sent to his native place for the last rites.
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Chaibasa Superintendent of Police Amit Renu said that two IED blasts occurred during the operation in the dense Saranda forests. “Three CRPF personnel, including an Inspector, were injured in the explosion. They were immediately shifted to Rourkela for treatment,” he said.
IG (Operations) and Jharkhand Police spokesperson Dr. Michael Raj later confirmed Laskar’s death, describing his sacrifice as “a testament to the courage and commitment of the security forces engaged in anti-Maoist operations.”
The attack comes at a time when the CPI (Maoists) have announced the observance of a ‘Resistance Week’ from October 8 to 14 across Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, and Chhattisgarh, protesting the intensified security operations.
The group has also called for a bandh on October 15 against what it terms “suppression by security forces.”
This year alone, three security personnel have been martyred and nine others seriously injured in Maoist-triggered IED blasts in Jharkhand.
CRPF Sub-Inspector Sunil Kumar Singh was killed in Saranda on 22 March, followed by Jharkhand Jaguar jawan Sunil Dhan on April 12. Head Constable Mahendra Laskar became the third martyr in such incidents on Friday.
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