Two security personnel sustained injuries in the explosion of an improvised explosive device (IED) triggered by Maoists during an area domination operation in the Basaguda region of the Bijapur district, southern Chhattisgarh.

The incident took place near Putkel village as a joint team of the CRPF’s 229th battalion and the COBRA unit ventured out from Putkel camp for area domination duty. The pressure IED planted by Maoists exploded, injuring the personnel. They were immediately evacuated for medical care, and officials confirmed their condition is stable and out of danger.

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The attack came amid a renewed offensive against Maoist insurgents in Chhattisgarh. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai recently referred to Maoist insurgency as a “cancer” emphasising the need for targeted action to uproot it. “Maoists had clung to some areas in Bastar like leeches, intimidating and exploiting local communities. We decided to strike at their strongholds, and our security forces have displayed unparalleled courage in combating them,” declared Sai while speaking at a public event in Sukma on January 13.

The chief minister highlighted the success of the ongoing anti-Maoist operations, revealing that over 230 Maoists had been neutralised in various encounters over the past year. “Through strategic expansion of security camps and robust networks, Maoist influence has been reduced to a limited area, and they are now resorting to desperate, cowardly acts like IED blasts,” he said.

He also underscored the transformative development initiatives undertaken by his government in Maoist-affected areas, including the Neel Nella Nar scheme, aimed at providing basic amenities within a five-kilometer radius of security camps.

Chief Minister Sai reiterated his commitment to eliminating Maoism and addressing corruption. “We will not spare any corrupt individual. Every effort will be made to ensure justice and development,” he asserted.

The chief minister also provided appointment letters to family members of victims affected by Maoist violence under the state’s Naxal Rehabilitation Policy.