Overview

• Head Constable Mahendra Laskar died during treatment in Rourkela early Saturday after two IED blasts struck a CRPF patrol in the Saranda forest of West Singhbhum.
• Police said the devices were suspected to have been planted by cadres of the banned CPI (Maoist) as the group observes ‘Resistance Week’.
• The Oct. 10 explosions in the Babudih/Babudera area under Jaraikela police limits also injured Inspector K.K. Mishra and ASI Ramakrishna Gagarai.
• All three were airlifted to Rourkela for care, and officials planned to transfer the two survivors to AIIMS New Delhi as search and area-domination operations continue in Saranda.
• In a separate incident, a CoBRA commando sustained minor injuries in an IED blast in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur, indicating parallel attacks across the region.