Bihar: CRPF jawan martyred in Aurangabad

PATNA: A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan Ashish Patra (29) was martyred after receiving bullet injury in head during exchange of fire between Maoists at hills of Chakarbandha on the border of Gaya and Aurangabad districts on Tuesday.

This is the first casualty which security forces suffered in the state for year 2018 in Maoists violence. Last year, the state for the first time in last 12 years had not lost a single security personnel in

Maoist violence

.

CRPF sources said that a search and destroy operation was launched at around midnight on January 1 after receiving intelligence input of some splinter group’s movement in the area.

“Commandos of CoBRA and regular battalion along with civil police with both districts were involved in the operation. It was around 3.30pm on Tuesday when exchange of fire took place between the splinter group and security forces during which Patra received bullet injury in head,” CRPF sources said.

They said that chopper of Border Security Force (BSF) which was kept at stand-by for the operation at Ranchi, airlifted Patra from amid the jungles and was flown back. “He was taken to Ranchi’s Medica hospital with a green corridor from the airport but did not survived,” sources said.

CRPF sources said that Patra had joined the force in year 2011 and was a native of Surendra Nagar in 24, South Parganas district of West Bengal.