Ranka Police Station in charge Shankar Kushwaha was injured in an encounter with banned extremists group JJMP in Ranka police station area of Garhwa district late Sunday night.

The incident took place at around 11 pm in Dhengura forest area when a police team led by Shankar Kushwaha was out on an anti-Naxal operation on a tip off from its police station   towards Dhengura village.

During the operation, a gunfight broke out between the police team and Jharkhand JanMukti Parishad (JJMP) Naxals in which Kushwaha was shot in the chest.  But because he was wearing a bulletproof jacket, the bullet had no impact. Another bullet hit his wrist causing injury in his hand.

Garhwa SP Deepak Kumar Pandey said that in injured condition, he was brought to Sadar Hospital where after first aid he was referred to Ranchi for better treatment.  Currently he is undergoing treatment at Medica Hospital and is out of danger.

Some blood stains were found at the spot, possibly some Naxalites were also shot, the SP said.

Security forces are engaged in raids in the forest looking for the injured extremists or bodies of the same.

Meanwhile, ADG (Operations) Sanjay Anand Lathkar has appreciated the common wisdom of the officer in charge, in wearing the bullet proof jacket when he and others were out to take on the JJMP ultras in the jungles of Ranka. 

Lathkar said. "He and others wore bulletproof jackets. How life saving it is, is to be found in the case of Kushwaha who was hit in the chest but this bullet proof jacket got the bullet to ricochet finally hurting his left wrist breaking his radius bone."

Lathkar said, “The injured police officer had to change the magazine of the AK 47. He raised his hand and came in the shot."

Police team of Chiniya, Ramkanda and Ranka were out to take on the JJMP in the forest of Ranka when this encounter broke out, said Lathkar.