Two commandoes of the Central Reserve Police Force’s elite CoBRA unit were injured in an IED blast allegedly triggered by Maoists in Jharkhand’s Ranchi district on Sunday, a day after the second phase of assembly elections were held, police said.
The commandoes identified as Pranay Das and Jignesh Choudhary, both 25, were injured in Ranchi’s Tamar constituency and brought to Medica hospital in the state capital by 9.30am.
According to the hospital bulletin, Das received a pelvic injury and his right leg was fractured in the blast. He was referred to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi in an air ambulance for better treatment.
Choudhary received a head injury and scan of his brain was done. Vital parameters of both the patients are stated to be stable, the bulletin said.
Ranchi’s superintendent of police (rural), Rishav Jha, said the attack took place at Peyakuli forest near Vijaygiri area around 7.30am when a team of the Commando Battalions for Resolute Action battalion was returning after conducting the polls on Saturday.
Police have sped up search operation after the incident and Jha said another team has been sent for a search operation in the place of incident.
{{/usCountry}}Police have sped up search operation after the incident and Jha said another team has been sent for a search operation in the place of incident.
{{/usCountry}}However, Maoists have fled from the area after committing the incident, police sources said.
Maoists on Saturday had opened fire on the police during polling at Arki block in Khunti district under Tamar assembly constituency. Police also retaliated. Later, the Maoists fled from the area seeing the heavy deployment of the police force.
The left-wing extremists allegedly torched a school bus in Jojohatu under Chaibasa muffasil police station (PS) in Chaibasa assembly segment under West Singhbhum district on Saturday.
In another incident, Maoists took control of a bus in Goilkera block in West Singhbhum district which had gone to bring voters from four booths in Gamharia panchayat to their new relocated booths.
They also held hostage the village head in Pokhria under Badngoan block and stopped villagers from going to polling booths.
Defying the Maoists’ poll boycott call, voters turned up in huge number at every polling booth across the 20 assembly constituencies in the second phase.
The phase registered 64.80% polling. Tamar constituency, where the incident took place, recorded 68.11% polling on Saturday.
The next phase of polling will be held on December 12. The fifth and final phase will take place on December 20 and votes will be counted on December 23.