Two personnel of the CRPF’s elite CoBRA battalion were left seriously injured on Sunday after two separate improvised explosive device blasts struck an anti-Maoist operation deep inside the Saranda forest of Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district. The Saranda region, known for its dense canopy and difficult terrain, has long been a fortified base for Maoist activity, making it one of the most challenging operational zones for security forces. The blasts occurred in the Baliba forest area under the jurisdiction of the Chotanagra police station, where Maoist groups are believed to have planted multiple IEDs in advance to disrupt the movement of security teams engaged in intensive search and area-domination exercises.
Officials said the two jawans — head constable Alok Das and sepoy Narayan Das — were part of a specialised CoBRA unit advancing through a heavily forested stretch when the first explosion went off. As rescue and reinforcement teams moved in, a second IED detonated nearby, leading to further injuries. Both personnel were immediately evacuated to a CRPF camp for emergency medical assistance and were later airlifted to a private hospital in Ranchi. Doctors treating them have described their condition as serious but stable, underscoring the severity of injuries typically caused by buried IEDs in forested combat zones.
West Singhbhum Superintendent of Police Amit Renu, confirming the details, said the back-to-back blasts were a “clear act of desperation” by Maoist groups who have been under mounting pressure due to recent coordinated operations by state police and central forces. He noted that Maoists are increasingly relying on IEDs to inflict damage from a distance as direct encounters become riskier for them. The use of pressure-activated and command-wire explosives has risen sharply in the region, prompting security forces to deploy specialised detection units and advance cautiously through suspected minefields.
In response to Sunday’s attack, security forces have launched a large-scale combing operation across the Saranda forest, aiming to locate the Maoist squad responsible and to neutralise any remaining explosive devices planted along key movement routes. Additional units from Jharkhand Police, CRPF and CoBRA have been mobilised to seal possible escape corridors and monitor villages situated along forest fringes for suspicious movement. Officials said that reinforcements have been instructed to proceed with heightened caution, particularly on routes known for repeated IED incidents.
The Saranda forest, once considered the headquarters of the CPI (Maoist)’s Eastern Regional Bureau, has witnessed numerous encounters and casualties over the past decade. Despite sustained counter-insurgency efforts, Maoist groups continue to exploit the forest’s rugged terrain and remote settlements to regroup, making the region a persistent security challenge. Sunday’s incident, officials said, serves as a reminder that while Maoist presence has weakened, their tactics remain unpredictable and lethal.
With operations intensifying and security forces vowing a strong response, the situation in Saranda remains tense. Further reinforcements and technical teams are expected to remain on the ground until the area is fully sanitised and the threat of additional IEDs is ruled out.
