2 SSB jawans hurt in IED blast by Naxals

Raipur, Feb 1: Two Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) jawans were on Monday injured in an IED (Improvised Explosive Devise) explosion triggered by Naxals in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Kanker district, police said.

The blast occurred when the security forces were patrolling to ensure security to the under-construction railway track between Kacche and Bhaismudi villages in Bhanupratappur region, Kanker Superintendent of Police Jitendra Singh Meena told PTI.

A team of SSB was carrying out patrolling near the railway track being laid as part of the under-construction Dallirajhra -Rowghat rail project. When they reached between Kacche and Bhaismudi, the Naxals triggered the explosion, he said.

"Constables Ayon Mandal and Parmanand Maurya have sustained superficial injuries in the blast," the SP said, adding they have been admitted to a local hospital in Bhanupratappur.

Preliminary probe revealed that the IED, placed in a pressure cooker, was planted under a heap of murrum, around 30 meters away from the under-construction railway track, the SP said.

Combing operation has been launched in the region to nab the attackers, he added. Notably, the construction of Dallirajhara-Rowghat- Jagdalpur broad-gauge railway project, covering a length of 235 kms, is underway. It would facilitate evacuation of rich iron-ore from the pocket considered to be under the influence of Naxalites in north Bastar region.

The laying of railway tracks of 95 kms in the first phase from Dallirajhara (Balod district) to Rowghat (Kanker) is going on at a rapid pace.

PTI