SUKMA: A woman constable was injured when a pressure Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by Naxalites went off in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Thursday, police said.
The incident took place on a forested hill at around 1 pm when a team of District Reserve Guard (DRG) and District Force, both units of the state police, was out on an area domination operation from the newly established Gogunda security camp under Keralapal police station limits, an official said.
Constable Muchaki Durga of the District Force inadvertently came in contact with the pressure IED, triggering the blast, causing her injuries in her left foot, he said.
After being provided preliminary treatment, she was being airlifted to Raipur for further medication, the official said, adding that her condition was stated to be out of danger.
Maoists often plant IEDs along the road and dirt tracks in forests to target security personnel during patrolling in the interior pockets of the Bastar region, comprising seven districts, including Sukma. Civilians in the region have also fallen prey to such traps laid by ultras in the past.
On June 9 this year, Additional Superintendent of Police (Konta division) Akash Rao Girepunje was killed and two officers were injured after an IED planted by Naxalites at a stone quarry exploded in Sukma district.
The central government has resolved to make the country free of the Naxal menace by March 2026.