Two CRPF personnel injured as bomb explodes while being defused in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada

Dantewada: Two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were injured after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by Naxalites exploded in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh on Saturday, officials said.

The incident occurred in the morning when the security personnel were neutralising the explosive concealed in a Maoist banner found near a bridge on the Indravati river under Barsoor police station limits, a CRPF official said.

Acting on a tip-off about the movement of Naxalites on Barsoor-Palli route as part of their "People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Week" starting from December 2, a team of CRPF's 195th battalion was dispatched there, he said.

On spotting a Maoist banner and an IED concealed in it near Saatdhaar bridge, the security personnel started defusing it. However, it exploded in the process and caused minor injuries to two personnel, the official said.

The two jawans are being airlifted to Raipur for treatment, he added.

Search operation was underway in the area, he said.