Overview

• The explosion occurred around noon in the Mankey area near Jaraikela while personnel were conducting a combing sweep in one of Asia’s densest forests
• Both injured jawans belong to the CRPF’s elite CoBRA battalion and sustained critical wounds from a remotely detonated device
• Security forces evacuated the personnel from the site and arranged an urgent airlift to Ranchi for specialized medical care
• Troops have maintained intensified search and seizure operations in Saranda forest after a series of IED attacks across Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha this year
• The central government has tasked elite units with eradicating Left-Wing Extremism by early 2026, focusing on Maoist strongholds like Saranda