Two Special Task Force (STF) personnel were killed and four others injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast by Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Wednesday night, according to police reports.
The blast occurred in the Tarrem area when a joint team of security forces was returning from an anti-Maoist operation in the dense forests at the tri-junction of Bijapur, Sukma, and Dantewada districts.
The operation involved personnel from the STF, District Reserve Guard (DRG), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and its elite unit CoBRA, all of which are part of the state police force. The mission began on Tuesday following intelligence reports about the presence of Naxals from the Darbha and West Bastar divisions, as well as from military company no. 2, the Bijapur police detailed in a statement.
As the team was returning from their operation, Maoists triggered the IED. The deceased personnel have been identified as Bharat Sahu from Raipur and Satyer Singh Kange from Narayanpur district.
Following the incident, additional security forces have been deployed to the area. Arrangements have been made to ensure the injured STF personnel receive proper medical treatment, the police confirmed.
In a related development last month, security forces killed six Maoists in an encounter in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district. This was the largest attack by security forces on People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army company no. 6, a key unit of the Naxalite insurgency. The encounter occurred on June 6 near Gobel and Thulthuli villages within the Orcha police station jurisdiction. The slain Maoists reportedly carried a cumulative bounty of ₹38 lakh, the police stated.