Jharkhand policeman killed in IED blast in Lohardaga during anti-Maoist ops

The policeman who was badly injured was airlifted to Ranchi but died during treatment.

A member of a special action team (SAT) of the Jharkhand police was killed in the state’s Lohardaga district on Tuesday when an improvised explosive device (IED) suspected to be planted by the CPI (Maoists) went off during an offensive agaist the left-wing extremists in Dudru forest, police said.

A police patrolling team, comprising personnel from the DRG and the Special Task Force, was cordoning off a forest at a hill near Gogunda when an IED was triggered injuring two cops in the blast. (Ajay Aggarwal / HT Archive / Representative image)

A joint team of SAT and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) had launched an operation in the area following intelligence input about movement of Maoists there.

The deceased who was identified as Duleshwar Prasad, hailed from Gumla district. The 31-year-old policeman who was badly injured, was taken to Ranchi by a chopper. But he succumbed to the injuries during treatment at a hospital.

Later, the Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren paid homage to the slain policeman at the Jharkhand Armed Police (JAP) ground in Ranchi.

“It is unfortunate to lose a brave soldier of Jharkhand. I offer my condolences over his death,” Soren said.

The CM also sought details of the incident from director general of police Niraj Sinha.

This is the second such incident in the region in a month. On January 16, one woman was killed and another severely injured in the bordering areas of Lohardaga-Latehar-Gumla district when an IED exploded.