2 security personnel injured as Naxalites trigger IED blast in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur  

Two security personnel sustained injuries as Maoists triggered an improvised explosive device (IED) to blow up a vehicle they were travelling in in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Sunday, police said.

Two personnel of the Special Task Force (STF), a unit of state police, were injured due to shockwaves in the impact of the explosion, they said.

The blast occurred around 5.45 pm near the Gorla rivulet under the Madded police station limits when a team of the STF was returning in a pick-up vehicle after an anti-Naxalite operation, an official said.

He said the Naxalites triggered the blast in a bid to target the vehicle, but the explosion took place some distance away.

The official said, "There was no serious damage to any vehicle or personnel due to the explosion. Two STF personnel suffered minor injuries due to the shockwaves from the IED blast," he said.

The injured personnel were administered first aid at the primary health centre in Madded and later shifted to the Bijapur district hospital, he said, adding that they were said to be out of danger.

The official said a combing operation was under way in the area to trace the ultras.