Explosives Recovered in Anti-Naxal Operation in Chhattisgarh; Cop Injured in IED Blast

Police said on Wednesday that security forces carried out a major operation against Naxals in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh, storming a Naxalite camp and seizing a cache of explosives and daily-use items.

A police reserve guard was slightly injured after a pressure explosive device planted by Naxalite exploded on Wednesday when the security personnel were returning after the operation, they said.

Police said multiple encounters took place during the operation, which was carried out on Monday in the primary forest areas near Bedia village located under the boundaries of Gangalore Police Station, more than 450 km from the state capital, Raipur.

A police official claimed that two or three Naxalis were killed or injured, but that their colleagues managed to drag them away to jungle hideouts.

Separate joint teams of Commando Resolute Action Battalion (COBRA) – an elite unit of the Reserve Police Force, Special Task Force (STF) and DRG from Bijapur and neighboring Dantewada district on Monday launched an offensive against the Naxalites in their stronghold of Bidiya, a police official said.

He said multiple confrontations took place on Tuesday between security personnel and Naxalites at different locations.

The official said, without going into further details, that during the operation, the security forces seized a cache of Naxalites and seized a cache of explosives, daily-use materials, sewing materials, and medicines.

He said that the security forces also destroyed a memorial for the Naxalis.

On the way back after the operation on Wednesday, Constable Ajay Mandavi of Dantewada DRG accidentally came into contact with a pressure explosive device, which set off an explosion, he said.

The policeman sustained minor injuries, the official said, adding that he was taken to Bijapur district hospital for treatment.

(This story was not edited by the News18 staff and was published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)