CRPF head constable, injured in IED explosions in Jharkhand, dies           

A head constable of CRPF, who along with two others was injured in two IED explosions in Saranda forest in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district, died on Saturday, police said.

An inspector and an assistant sub-inspector, who sustained injuries, in the IED blasts, were undergoing treatment, a police statement said.

The improvised explosive devices were suspectedly planted by the proscribed CPI (Maoist), which is observing a ‘resistance week’ in Jharkhand, to target security forces, he said.

“Head constable Mahendra Laskar, a resident of Assam, died in the course of treatment in a hospital in Rourkela, Odisha,” said a statement issued by the Jharkhand Police Headquarters on Saturday.

The inspector and the ASI are under treatment in the hospital, it said.

Earlier on Friday evening, the three CRPF personnel sustained injuries in the explosions in the Babudih area of the Saranda forest under the Jaraikela Police Station limits.

The Jharkhand Police strengthened security across the state in the wake of the ‘resistance week’ of the banned CPI (Maoist), which began on October 8. The outfit also called for a bandh on October 15.

Inspector General (Operations) Michael Raj had on Thursday told PTI that 12 battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and 20 groups of the Jharkhand Armed Police (JAP) and India Reserve Battalion (IRB) have been deployed to boost security across Jharkhand.