Police could not confirm the exact number of security personnel injured and said full details would emerge only after everyone from the site of the explosion is evacuated. According to sources, an inspector of the CRPF’s 60th Battalion is among the injured.

Chaibasa SP Amit Renu said, “An IED blast has taken place, and we are in the process of moving the injured to a safe location and then to the hospital. One person has already been moved, and others are being evacuated. There are at least two-three injured personnel. We will share full details later after everything gets confirmed.”

District police, the CRPF, and other security personnel were conducting an anti-Maoist operation in the Babudera area of the Samtha region when Maoists triggered the IED blast, officials said. Following the incident, a medical team was immediately dispatched to the area.

Three days ago, IG (Operations) Michael Raj had warned of heightened Maoist activity in the state ahead of “Resistance Week” and a one-day bandh. He had said that the Jharkhand Police was fully prepared, with special vigilance ordered in Maoist-affected districts, and adequate police deployment at all sensitive locations, government offices, and transport routes.

Raj had urged the public to carry on with their daily lives without fear, warning them against paying attention to rumours and assuring them that the police were committed to maintaining peace and security in the state.