In a major incident, four police personnel, including an inspector of the District Reserve Guard (DRG), died after an improvised explosive device (IED) went off when officials were trying to neutralise it during a demining operation in the Kanker district of Chhattisgarh on Saturday, May 2.
Notably, this marks the maiden blast incident linked to Naxalite activity in Chhattisgarh, which was declared free from armed Maoism on March 31, PTI reported.
As per reports, this marks the first instance in 2026 in which security personnel engaged in anti-Naxal operations have lost their lives.
Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range Sundarraj Pattilingam told PTI that the explosion occurred around 11.30 a.m. in the forest area of Aadnar village under Chhotebethiya police station limits. The incident took place near the Narayanpur district border, when a joint team of security personnel conducted a demining operation to locate and defuse IEDs planted earlier by Naxalites.
Pattilingam informed that the security forces have recovered and neutralised hundreds of IEDs planted earlier by Naxalites across the Bastar range after receiving inputs from surrendered Maoist cadres as well as other intelligence over the past few months.
Notably, the Bastar range comprises seven districts including Kanker.
The operation on Saturday was launched after receiving similar inputs regarding Maoist dumps in the Chhotebethiya area. Led by the DRG, the team also included personnel from the Bastar Fighters and the district force.
At first, the team detected a Maoist dump and recovered materials belonging to the ultras. At around 11.30 a.m., they witnessed another dump containing an IED concealed beneath the ground, Pattilingam told PTI.
The explosive went off when the personnel made efforts to retrieve it for defusal, critically injuring four personnel.
During the operation, Inspector Sukhram Vatti, 40, of the DRG, constable Krishna Komra, 35, and constable Sanjay Gadhpale, 29, succumbed to their injuries on the spot, while another injured constable, Parmanand Komra, 29, was airlifted to Raipur. Later on, he died during treatment at a hospital.
Vatti was a resident of Bijapur district, while the other three personnel hailed from Kanker district.
During initial investigation, it was revealed that the IED might have exploded due to an accidental circuit connection while being retrieved. A detailed ballistic and forensic examination is underway to ascertain the exact cause of the blast, the senior official said.
Terming the incident as “very tragic,” Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma said the entire government stands firmly with the families of the martyred police personnel.