CoBRA jawan injured in gun battle

In a fierce gun battle between security forces and ultras of banned outfit CPI (Maoist) CoBRA jawan of CRPF’s 203 battalion sustained injuries in Sangajata forest under Chaibasa Police Station area of the West Sinbhum district on Wednesday.

The injured jawan, Kamlesh Kumar was later sent to Ranchi through a helicopter. Police sources said that the Maoists in the area are being led by their local commander Misir Besra.

Police sources said a joint team of the COBRA, Jharkhand Jaguar, CRPF and district police were conducting search operations in the forest when they came under firing by the maoists in which a jawan was injured.

“Several rounds of fierce encounters between the naxals and the para-military forces have taken place at jungle. The insurgency operation jointly with CRPF, currently going on, between villages on the bordering Sonua and Khuti in Porahat block in West Singhbhum,” said an official. . The area has been sealed and a combing operation has been launched to flush out the Maoist guerrillas from the area.

The police and paramilitary forces have started frisking commuters in the bordering areas. At some places common people are also being interrogated by police and paramilitary force on suspicion. Forces have been deployed in strategic locations.

Police said that the security has been beefed up in the area and they were keeping strict vigil on movement of the Naxlites. “There has been a substantial increase in Maoist activities in this. We are not much concerned about small acts of violence because these activities can be controlled by us, but the bigger attacks are worrisome,” said a security official.

Police sources have informed that on the basis of the leads provided by the arrested naxalite joint team of police and paramilitary forces are raiding at different places in Saranda area to nab other Maoists too.

Sources informed that the police have decided to ensure strict vigil and deploy additional security forces in the fringe areas. “Security has been beefed up in the area and they were keeping strict vigil on movement of the Naxalites. The plan is to keep a tab on the camps being operated by ultras,” said another official.