Bijapur (Chhattisgarh): At least 11 security personnel were injured in multiple IED blasts at Karregutta Hills in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Sunday. Police said all the injured were evacuated from the site and airlifted to Raipur for treatment. Their condition is reported to be stable.
According to Bijapur Police, the blasts occurred during an ongoing operation in the hilly forest region, an area known for Maoist activity. Security forces have intensified search operations in and around the incident site to rule out the presence of additional explosives.
The incident comes amid sustained anti-Naxal operations in the Bastar region. On January 18, security forces recovered the bodies of six Naxals following an encounter in Bijapur district under the Bastar range. Police seized two AK-47 rifles, one INSAS rifle, two .303 rifles and a BGL launcher from the spot. Officials said the total reward on the slain Naxals was ₹27 lakh.
Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, P Sundarraj said the encounter took place on January 17–18 and search and cordon operations are still under way to ensure the area is fully secured.
Earlier, on January 18, Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma said security forces had killed four Naxals, including senior Maoist leader Dilip Bedja, during an operation in Bijapur district. He described Bedja’s death as a major setback for the Maoist network in the National Park area, where the leader had been active for several years.
On Saturday, security forces also recovered the bodies of two Maoist cadres along with automatic weapons from another encounter site in the northwestern part of Bijapur district.
Bijapur Superintendent of Police Jitendra Yadav said a joint team of the District Reserve Guard, COBRA and the Special Task Force launched the operation based on intelligence inputs about the presence of Dilip Bedja and other armed Maoists in the forested and hilly terrain. He said operations in the region would continue to dismantle remaining Maoist strongholds.
