Bonai: Several Maoists are reported to have been killed in an encounter between security forces and members of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) in the Saranda forest of Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district along Odisha border Sunday, officials said.
The exchange of fire began around 5 am during a combing operation in the Chhotanagra and Jaraikela police station areas, according to state police headquarters. Inspector General (Operations) Dr Michael Raj of Jharkhand Police said preliminary information suggests that several Maoists were killed in the gunfight, but no bodies had been recovered so far.
Search operations were continuing in the forested area. The encounter followed an improvised explosive device (IED) blast triggered earlier in the day by Maoists in the Timra forest area under the Chidiya outpost of Manoharpur police station, along the Odisha-Jharkhand border. Officials said the IED had been planted in advance. Assistant Commandant Ajay Mallik of the CoBRA 209 Battalion sustained serious injuries in the blast.
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His left leg was severely damaged. Mallik was airlifted to Ranchi and later shifted to New Delhi for advanced medical treatment after his condition deteriorated. Following the explosion, paramilitary forces launched extensive search operations across the border areas.
In the forest between Marang Ponga and Kinbir villages under Chhotanagra police station, Maoists opened fire on the security personnel, triggering a prolonged gun battle. Head Constable Vikram Yadav suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen and was critically injured. He was airlifted to Ranchi and later shifted to New Delhi for specialised treatment.
Another jawan, Sanjeev Kumar, sustained minor injuries. Senior officials, including Raj and the Inspector General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), visited the injured personnel at the hospital. Saranda forest is considered a stronghold of Maoist activity.
Security forces launched the operation based on specific intelligence inputs, officials said. Sources added that weapons were recovered from the encounter site, though official confirmation was awaited. The CPI (Maoist) has been engaged in a decades-long insurgency against the Indian state, with strongholds in parts of eastern and central India.