Two special task force personnel injured in IED explosion during anti-Naxal operation in Chhattisgarh

Police said on Monday (5 May 2025) that two Task Force (STF) personnel were injured after the release of the IED planted by the Naxars in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh, where a large-scale operation of the Ultras was carried out for two weeks.

The operation, which involved about 24,000 security personnel on the adjacent hills of Karregutta and the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border, was launched on April 21 to track the stubborn naxalites.

Two STF Jawans were slightly injured in the explosion on Sunday (May 4, 2025), an official said.

“The injured jaw was treated at a local hospital and was later referred to the higher center,” he said. As a result, six security personnel, including one belonging to the CRPF, were injured in an IED explosion during the operation, the official said.

The operation is one of the largest counterinsurgency operations launched in the Bastari region, involving personnel from different units, including regional reserve defenders, Bastari combatants and STF of the Chhattisgarh Police Department, the Central Reserve Police Force and its elite commando teams to conduct discernment operations (COBRA).

The operation is underway in the terrain and dense forests, spreading over the interstate border of Bijabul (Chhattisgarh), Mulugu and Bhadradri-Kothagudem (Telangana), from Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh.

“The operation has reached its climax, and so far, about 75% of the area has been blocked and removed. The final phase of the operation is likely to end this weekend,” said a senior official who monitored the operation. pti.

“The results of the anti-Naxal operation depend not only on the number of Naxals killed or the number of weapons recovered. The removal of captivity in the area in banned Maoist clothing and once again keeping the land safe for the local population is also an important goal of the operation.” On April 24, three female Naxals were killed on Karregutta Hills, and a large number of weapons, explosives and other materials were found during the operation.

The official said the area is surrounded by dense forests and a series of hills and is considered a safe hideout for the Maoists' PLGA (People's Liberation Guerrillas) Battalion No. 1, the Maoists' strongest military formation.

He said the inputs suggested more than 500 Naxalites belonging to PLGA battalion No. 1, Telangana state committee and Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) of Maoists led by their hardcore and dreaded leaders, including Central Committee Members Chandrana, Ramachandra Reddy, Sujatha and Hidma, PLGA battalion commander Barse Deva, had gathered for a meeting and were holed up in the