Nine security personnel injured in two Maoist attacks in Jharkhand

DALTONGANJ/RANCHI: In two separate incidents, nine security personnel, including the additional superintendent of police (ASP) of Chatra, were injured during anti-naxalite operations on Thursday. In the first incident a landmine went off while the security personnel made an attempt to diffuse it on the Palamu Chatra border and the other was a case of mistaken identity in which two CRPF jawans opened fire at each other in Sarju area of Latehar district, taking their fellow mate to be a Maoist.

The ASP, two Jharkhand Armed Police jawans and one district police officer was badly injured in the first incident. Three other CRPF jawans also received minor injuries. According to the second in command of 134 battalion of the CRPF Sudhanshu Shekhar, all the injured have been airlifted from Chak in Palamu's Manatu block for treatment in Apollo hospital in Ranchi.

Palamu SP Y S Ramesh said there was a tip-off on an Improvised Explosive device (IED) planted in the dry bed of a small rivulet Jhulsi bordering Pratapur in Chatra district. The security forces from Palamu advanced to the site and was joined there by the Chatra contingent led by ASP (operation) Ravi Shanker Mishra (35). As the ASP, along with the contingent of security forces, made an attempt to retrieve the IED, it exploded leading to serious injuries. Ramesh said the incident could have been avoided, had the contingent called a bomb disposal squad to diffuse the IED.

"The initial reports suggest that the ASP was trying to retrieve it when the blast took place. Only after a through investigation, the reason behind the incident can be ascertained," said Chatra SP Prashant Karn.

Jharkhand police spokesperson Anurag Gupta said the injured ASP is critical and was shifted to Delhi by an air ambulance for better treatment. "He has sustained critical injuries in his lower half of the body. One of his legs got fractured," said Gupta.

Earlier on Thursday morning, two jawans were injured in a freak incident in Latehar. Two teams of security personnel were combing the Kuku forest (near Saryu village) in the district when a cross fire took place between them. Latehar SP Michael Raj said one group of jawans was in the middle of their operations when they chanced upon their fellow mates. Suspecting them to be Maoists in camouflage, they opened fire at each other. Two jawans were injured in the incident.

Latehar SP said that an investigation has been launched as to whose confusion led to cross fire.