A 55-year-old woman suffered injuries in her legs in an IED explosion suspected to have been triggered by Maoists in a forest in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district on Thursday.
The incident took place when Jema Bahanda went inside Rankuburu forest in the Tonto area to collect firewood, superintendent of police Ashutosh Shekhar said.
“Since January we have been conducting regular combing operations in coordination with CRPF and Jharkhand police special unit and this has frustrated the Maoists who have resorted to such cowardly tactics of indiscriminate planting of IEDs to deter security forces from search operation leading to injuries and casualty of innocent villagers. However, the search operation will continue with more intensity,” said Shekhar.
Bahanda, who was seriously injured in the blast, was taken to Sadar Hospital in Chaibasa, he said, adding her condition is stated to be stable.
“On Friday security recovered and diffused three IEDs weighing between 2-3kg and one weighing 5kg in a forest area of the district,” he said, adding over 100 IEDs have been unearthed. A 23-year-old man was killed in an IED explosion in the Meralgada area in Goilkera three days ago.
