Three state police constables Jaguar, a Left Wing Extremism task force, were killed and two others wounded in the Maoist Thursday Claymore mine explosion in the Chaibasa area of Jhark Hand district of West Singhbum, police said.
At 08.45 am, at the foot of Lanji Pahar, an area in the Chakradharpur block Toklo Police Station, the incident occurred when CRPF staff from 197 Battalion and Jharkhand Jaguar’s Assault 11 were under way to strengthen a continuous combined action.
Police said Maoists were targeting jawans and explosing on the ground of Lanji Pahar, the Claymore mine planted.
Jharkhand DGP Niraj Sinha said: “A combing operation was ongoing, additional force was going to supplement them and three jawans who died were part of it. Two of them died at the spot and another died while he was being carried to the hospital.”
The killed Jaguar staff have been named as Devendra Kumar Pandit, Kiran Surin and Shah. The Ranchi was treated by two wounded constables.
Police say combing operations in the Lanji Pahar and adjacent forest areas of the triune regions of Chaibasa, Saraikela and Khunti have been undertaken since last month. According to the police.
“A meeting took place in the same location on February 7-8. The Maoist central committee member Anil alias Partiam Manjhi was engaged by a squad of CRPF District Police and CoBRA battalion,” said Police Sources.
“Operation will begin… DIG Rajeev Ranjan of the Kolhan division, which includes West Singhbhum… We ruled the Lanji region after a long time. This shattered the Maoists, leading to the explosion of the mine.”
West Singhbhum has valleys and thick forests and is one of the main districts in Jharkhand. Given the terrain near intercultural boundaries with Odisha – Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj to the south and Sundergarh to the east, the LWE danger in the region is great. In 2020 alone, 89 cases or recoveries against Maoists were registered, and 44 extremists were arrested by the police.
