A Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) jawan attained martyrdom and four others sustained injuries during an encounter with the CPI (Maoist) in the wee hours of Sunday in Dumka’s Kathalia block, around 300 km northeast of Ranchi. The injured jawans were rushed to the Dumka Sadar Hospital from where one of them was airlifted to Ranchi as his condition was found to be critical, police said.
“SSB jawan Neeraj Chetri from Assam attained martyrdom in the encounter. The incident occurred around 3.30 am when the security forces were conducting a combing operation in the Maoist-affected area,” said Additional Director General of Police ML Meena, who also happens to be the spokesperson of Jharkhand Police.
Dumka Superintendent of Police YS Ramesh said some insurgents have also sustained bullet injuries in the encounter and search operation is on to track them.
This is the third encounter between the outlawed group of insurgents and security personnel reported in Jharkhand in less than a fortnight. Earlier on May 28, at least 11 jawans of Jharkhand police and 209 CoBRA battalion sustained severe injuries in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion triggered by the CPI (Maoist) in Saraikela Kharsawan. Another IED blast in the same district caused injuries to at least four jawans a day after the results of the 17th General Elections were out.
Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Sunday said, “Left Wing Extremism is counting its days in Jharkhand. We are committed to bring an end to any form of extremism in our State.”
He offered condolences to the family of the martyr and said that the entire State stands in support of the bereaved family.
“In all the three incidents, we penetrated their territory and they retaliated.
They did not come out of their dens to attack the police,” Meena said, adding that encounters are always on the cards during combing operations and the incidents were on the rise since the police have recently strengthened their anti-insurgency operations in Jharkhand.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), at least 18 of 24 districts in Jharkhand are Maoist-affected. Apart from the main CPI (Maoist), there are at least 17 splinter outfits which have unleashed a reign of terror on innocent villagers in the hinterland, police said.
In the three encounters reported in Jharkhand since the end of elections, at least 19 jawans have sustained injuries. The first martyrdom was reported on Sunday. The combing operations, police said, will be further strengthened in the days to come and encounters were likely in other parts of Jharkhand too.
Police in a statement on Sunday said that the jawans who sustained injuries in the encounter on Sunday include Karan Kumar, Satish Gujjar and Sonu Kumar. While the trio is undergoing treatment in Dumka Sadar Hospital, another jawan Rajesh Kumar was airlifted to Ranchi and is undergoing treatment at Medica Superspecialty Hospital. Sources said that Kumar was shot on both his legs during the crossfire on Sunday morning.