India
oi-Swastika Sruti
blast
At
least
eleven
security
personnel
were
injured
on
Sunday
after
a
series
of
Improvised
Explosive
Device
(IED)
blasts
during
an
anti-Maoist
operation
in
Chhattisgarh’s
Bijapur
district.
On
Sunday,
at
least
eleven
security
personnel
were
injured
in
an
IED
blast
during
an
anti-Maoist
operation
near
Karegutta
hills
in
Chhattisgarh’s
Bijapur
district,
close
to
the
Telangana
border;
the
injured
were
airlifted
to
Raipur
for
treatment.The
operation
involved
the
DRG
and
CoBRA
unit,
targeting
Maoist
cadres,
particularly
the
PLGA’s
Battalion
1,
with
operations
intensified
before
Republic
Day;
over
500
Maoists
were
neutralized
in
2024
and
2025.
The
injured
jawans
were
later
airlifted
to
Raipur
for
medical
treatment.
The
incident
took
place
near
the
Karegutta
hills,
close
to
the
Chhattisgarh-Telangana
border,
an
area
known
for
Maoist
activity.
Officials
said
the
blasts
occurred
while
security
forces
were
conducting
a
search
operation
in
the
region.
Raipur, Chhattisgarh: Eleven personnel were injured in the Bijapur IED blast and have been brought to Raipur for treatment. All the injured soldiers are undergoing medical care at Ramkrishna Care Hospital. On Sunday night, 12 of the injured personnel were airlifted to Raipur for… pic.twitter.com/0KePA24xr2
— IANS (@ians_india) January 26, 2026“>
Joint
Operation
Near
Maoist
Stronghold
According
to
officials,
the
operation
was
launched
after
intelligence
inputs
suggested
the
presence
of
Maoist
cadres
in
the
western
part
of
Usur
in
Bijapur
district.
A
joint
team
of
the
District
Reserve
Guard
(DRG)
and
the
CRPF’s
elite
CoBRA
unit
carried
out
the
operation.
Security
agencies
believe
Battalion
1
of
the
People’s
Liberation
Guerrilla
Army
(PLGA),
the
armed
wing
of
the
banned
CPI
(Maoist),
is
hiding
in
the
Karegutta
hills.
While
it
is
not
yet
confirmed
whether
this
unit
was
directly
involved
in
the
blasts,
officials
estimate
that
the
group
still
has
over
100
armed
members
in
the
area.
Evacuation
Difficult
Due
to
Tough
Terrain
Out
of
the
eleven
injured
personnel,
ten
belong
to
the
DRG,
while
one
is
a
sub-inspector
from
the
CoBRA
unit.
Three
jawans
suffered
serious
leg
injuries,
and
three
others
received
splinter
injuries
to
their
eyes.
A
senior
police
officer
said
evacuating
the
injured
men
was
challenging
due
to
the
difficult
forest
terrain.
However,
all
personnel
were
successfully
rescued
and
flown
by
helicopter
to
Raipur.
“All
the
injured
are
stable,
conscious,
and
out
of
danger,” the
officer
added.
Injured
Personnel
Identified
The
injured
CoBRA
officer
has
been
identified
as
G.D.
Rudresh
Singh,
a
sub-inspector
from
the
201
Battalion.
Among
the
DRG
personnel,
Shailendra
Ekka
and
Aiyatu
Potam
suffered
leg
injuries,
while
Sonam
Kunjam,
Ramesh
Hemla,
and
Prakash
Miccha
sustained
eye
injuries
due
to
splinters.
The
remaining
injured
personnel
are
also
undergoing
treatment
and
are
reported
to
be
in
stable
condition.
Anti-Maoist
Operations
Intensified
Ahead
of
Republic
Day
The
incident
occurred
on
the
eve
of
Republic
Day,
as
security
forces
have
stepped
up
anti-Maoist
operations
across
several
districts
of
Chhattisgarh.
Officials
said
that
20
Maoists
have
been
killed
so
far
this
year.
In
the
last
two
years,
2024
and
2025,
more
than
500
Maoists
were
neutralised
in
various
encounters,
with
Bijapur
witnessing
a
significant
number
of
these
operations.
Security
forces
continue
to
remain
on
high
alert
in
the
region.
