RANCHI: A 10-year-old girl, who had gone into the forests of West Singhbhum to collect sial leaves, was killed after an IED, planted by Maoists, blew up.
The incident took place on Tuesday near Digha under Jaraikele police.
As per initial reports, Siria Herenj, daughter of Jai Masi Herenj, a resident of Digha village, inadvertently came into contact with an IED planted by Maoists, targeting the security forces while she was collecting sial leaves.
The explosion was so powerful that the girl died on the spot after her legs were severely damaged. After receiving the information, Jaraikela police rushed to the spot and recovered the girl's body from the forest.
Superintendent of Police Amit Renu confirmed the incident, terming it a cowardly act by the Maoists.
“A girl, who had gone into the jungles to collect sial leaves, has been killed in an IED blast near Digha village. She succumbed to her injuries while being evacuated from the jungles by the security forces,” said the SP.
The incident took place at around 10 am on Tuesday, he added.
The SP further informed that given the seriousness of the matter, security forces have been alerted in the entire area, and a thorough investigation of the incident has been initiated.
Maoists are now restricted only to Saranda jungles in Jharkhand as they have been whipped out from other pockets of the state.
According to an estimate, around 60-65 Maoists are supposed to be hiding in Saranda jungles, where they have planted thousands of IEDs, which has become a challenge for the security forces.
The state police have launched a joint operation in Kolhan and Saranda jungles of Chaibasa in November 2022. Since then, as many as six security personnel have lost their lives, while 20 others were critically injured. Around 22 civilian lives were also lost, leaving many critically injured after IED blasts.
The joint operation, conducted by personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Jharkhand Police, was launched following intelligence inputs about the presence of top Maoist leaders in the region, including Misir Besra, a senior CPI(Maoist) commander with a bounty of Rs 1 crore on his head.
