Boy injured in Naxal-planted IED blast in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur; security search area for more explosives

BIJAPUR: A boy suffered injuries after an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by Naxals went off in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, police said on Friday. The incident took place on Thursday afternoon in Pidia village within the jurisdiction of Gangaloor police station, a police official said. The minor inadvertently came in contact with the pressure IED, which exploded, causing him injuries, he said. Local villagers informed security forces about the incident, following which a joint team of CRPF's (Central Reserve Police Force) 199th and 85th battalions administered preliminary treatment to the boy. He was later shifted to Bijapur district hospital for further medical care, he said. Security personnel have launched a search in the area to check if more IEDs were planted there, he said. Maoists often plant IEDs on dirt tracks to target security personnel who use such routes during anti-Naxal operations inside forests. Many civilians have fallen prey to such traps in the past in the Bastar region, police said. Two people were injured in separate IED blasts in Bijapur district in August. On July 13, three persons, including a minor girl, were wounded in a similar incident in the Madded area of the district. A total of 38 people have lost their lives in Maoist violence, including IED blasts, in the Bastar region, comprising seven districts, including Bijapur, so far this year.