Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) [India], August 24 (HBTV): One jawan was killed and three others injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast triggered by Naxalites in the National Park area of Bijapur district on Monday, a police official said.

According to IG Bastar P Sundarraj, the blast occurred in the morning during an anti-Maoist operation by a District Reserve Guard (DRG) team in Bijapur district’s National Park area.

One DRG jawan, Dinesh Nag, was killed in the explosion, while three others sustained injuries.

The injured personnel are reported to be in stable condition and out of danger. They received first aid and are being evacuated for further treatment.

Officials stated that detailed information will be provided after the completion of the operation.

Earlier on August 14, security forces neutralised two senior Naxal cadres carrying a combined bounty of INR 1.16 crore during a gun battle in Chhattisgarh's Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district.

Vijay Reddy, a member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) with a bounty of INR 90 lakh, and Lokesh Salame, Secretary of the Rajnandgaon-Kanker Border (RKB) division with a bounty of INR 26 lakh, were killed in a joint operation by the Chhattisgarh Police, DRG, and the 27th Battalion of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) on August 13.

The gun battle erupted during a coordinated anti-Naxal operation. According to the ITBP, security forces had been tracking the movement of the duo in the dense forest belt when the exchange of fire broke out.

Officials described the elimination of Reddy and Salame as a major blow to Naxal operations in the Dandakaranya region and along the Rajnandgaon-Kanker border. Weapons and other Naxal-related materials were recovered from the site.

The two slain ultras had been active in North Bastar for over two decades.

(ANI)