Two personnel of the CRPF&rsquo;s elite CoBRA unit were critically injured on Friday afternoon in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast triggered by Maoists in Jharkhand&rsquo;s West Singhbhum district. The attack took place in the dense forested Digha area, a known Maoist stronghold, during a routine search and combing operation.
Both injured jawans were swiftly evacuated from the site and airlifted to Ranchi for urgent medical care. Security forces have since intensified their anti-Maoist operations in the Saranda and Kolhan regions, which remain hotspots for insurgent activity.
Police officials said Maoist rebels frequently plant IEDs on forest paths and under tracks to target patrolling troops, often resulting in fatal or life-threatening injuries.
This latest blast adds to a troubling string of recent Maoist attacks in the area. Just two days earlier, an IED planted on the Karampada&ndash;Rengda railway track killed a railway trackman. In June, CRPF jawan Satyawan Kumar Singh lost his life in a similar explosion in Saranda forest. March saw three separate IED incidents that killed one sub-inspector and injured five other personnel.
Top Maoist leaders, including Misir Besra, Anmol, Mochu, Anal, Asim Mandal, Ajay Mahato, Sagen Angaria, and Ashwin, are believed to be operating in these forests. Over the past three months, security forces have uncovered and destroyed over a dozen Maoist arms dumps, seizing a large cache of weapons and explosives.
The attack underscores the ongoing threat posed by Maoist insurgents and the dangers faced by security forces working in remote, hostile terrain.

Two CoBRA commandos airlifted to Ranchi after IED blast in Maoist-hit Jharkhand forest

Maoist IED Blasts 2 CRPF Jawans

Two CoBRA commandos airlifted to Ranchi after IED blast in Maoist-hit Jharkhand forest

August 8, 2025 | 17:05 IST