Chhattisgarh: 11 security personnel suffer injuries in IED blasts on Karegutta hills in Bastar, 3 critical

RAIPUR: Eleven security personnel suffered injuries in six pressure IED blasts, planted by Maoists, during an anti-Naxal operation at the surrounding forest of Karegutta hills in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, ahead of Republic Day on Sunday. Ten personnel are from District Reserve Guard (DRG) and one from CoBRA force.

The series of blasts on the same day, a senior officer said, indicated that new IEDs are still being planted by Maoists because most of these regions where the incidents took place, were sanitized and de-mined.

They were all airlifted to Raipur for treatment and condition of three is stated to be critical. A CoBRA jawan among three suffered serious injuries on leg while three other personnel were badly wounded in the eye.

A CRPF officer told TOI that the incident occurred in Usoor region, when security forces were out on a search operation in a Maoist-affected forested zone of Karegutta hills. Officials said the patrol inadvertently triggered an improvised explosive device planted by Maoists.

It took some time to evacuate the wounded personnel due to the dense terrain.

The injured were initially taken to a nearby hospital for first aid and later referred to Raipur after primary treatment.

Following the blast, security forces intensified search and area domination operations in and around Karregutta hill, a known Maoist transit and hideout zone along the inter-state border. Police said additional forces have been deployed and alert levels raised to prevent further incidents.

Officials said the operation is continuing and further details will be shared as the situation develops.

Inspector general of police, Bastar range, P Sundarraj said that detecting IEDs and defusing them is one of the priorities for security forces while in 2025, a record 875 IEDs were destroyed based on inputs received from surrendered cadres and demining operations.

Only two days ago, a youth's ankle was blown away in an IED blast in Bijapur and he limped for seven kilometers to the health centre, with the help of villagers for treatment.

The IEDs continue to pose another biggest threat across Bastar as they have proved to be the most dangerous indigenous weapon used by Maoists against security forces, which doesn't discriminate between villagers, children, livestock or jawans.


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