Bastar's teen boy loses leg in Maoist pressure-IED blast in Bijapur, rescued by CRPF

RAIPUR: A 15-year-old village boy in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district was severely injured after he accidentally stepped on a Maoist-planted pressure IED while collecting forest produce on Monday morning . The blast took place around 4–5 km from the Korcholi CRPF camp in the dense jungle belt in Gangaloor region, and the boy was rescued, given first aid by CRPF battalion number 222 and shifted to civil hospital.

The injured boy, identified as Ram Potam, and a resident of Korcholi Nadipara, suffered severe injuries to his leg, and a CRPF official confirmed that one leg was blown off in the explosion.

The incident comes a day after security forces killed 14 Maoists in Bijapur and Sukma districts with a simultaneous big surrender taking place of a Bastar Maoist Barse Deva in Telangana.

Police said that Ram had ventured into the forest early in the morning to collect items for livelihood when he activated an IED that had been planted earlier by Maoists to target security forces.

Hearing the blast, a rescue team from the 222nd battalion of CRPF, stationed at the Korcholi camp, rushed to the spot. The personnel administered first aid on-site and then evacuated the boy to the Bijapur district hospital for further treatment, said an officer.

Officials said the swift intervention by the CRPF troops played a crucial role in preventing further blood loss that might have led to risk to the boy's life. “The boy was stabilised at the camp before being shifted,” the CRPF officer said.

It was a pressure IED, that gets triggered once stepped upon. Such IEDs have been a major cause of fatalities for villagers and livestock, while Maoists mostly resorted to manually triggeredered IEDs to launch a bigger attack on security personnel to cause major damage.

Security forces have been conducting intensified search and IED-detection operations across Gangaloor, Korcholi, and surrounding forests following multiple recent incidents of hidden explosive devices targeting both civilians and patrol teams. These searches are also based on inputs received from surrendered cadres who give points about where they had planted the bombs.

Police said Monday’s incident highlights the grave danger posed to locals who depend on forest routes for daily chores. “Maoists often plant IEDs on narrow paths, riverbanks, and approach tracks used both by villagers and security personnel,” police officials said in a statement.

Appealing to the public, police advised villagers to remain extremely cautious while walking through forests and hilly terrain.
“Report any suspicious object, activity or material immediately to the nearest police station or security camp,” the advisory said.

The incident has once again drawn attention to the continuing threat posed by Maoist landmines in remote Bastar villages, where civilians remain vulnerable despite ongoing demining and search operations.

In 2025 alone, security forces have recovered 875 IEDs, more than the double of 308 found in 2024. Bastar range IGP P Sundarraj noted that it reflects a collapse of Maoist supply lines and reduced access to explosives.