BIJAPUR: A jawan of the Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) was killed after an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by Naxalites went off in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Monday, police said.
The blast occurred between Toynar and Farsegarh villages, where a CAF team was out patrolling to provide security to road construction work, an official said.
A road is being constructed from Toynar to Farsegarh.
The official said constable Manoj Pujari (26), belonging to the CAF's 19th battalion, inadvertently stepped over an IED, triggering the blast that killed him.
He said a search operation was underway in the area.
The Maoists often plant IEDs along the road and dirt tracks in forests to target security personnel during patrolling in interior pockets of the Bastar region, comprising seven districts, including Bijapur.
Civilians have fallen prey to such traps laid by ultras in the past.
On April 9, a jawan of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was injured in a similar blast in Bijapur, while on April 4, a 25-year-old man died, and another was injured in Narayanpur district.
On March 30, a 40-year-old tribal woman was killed when an IED planted by Naxalites went off in Bijapur district.