Rourkela: A security personnel injured in a powerful IED blast during an anti-Maoist operation in the dense Saranda forest of Jharkhand on Friday succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Rourkela early Saturday morning.

The martyred jawan has been identified as Head Constable Mahendra Laskar of the CRPF’s 60th Battalion. He breathed his last around 4 a.m. at Apollo Hospital, Rourkela, informed Commandant Ambuj Muthal.

Three personnel — CRPF Inspector KK Mishra, ASI Ramakrishna Gagrai, and Head Constable Mahendra Laskar — had sustained injuries when an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by Maoists detonated in the Babudera area of the Samtha region on Friday afternoon. District police, CRPF, and other security forces were conducting a joint anti-insurgency operation at the time of the blast.

The attack comes amid the banned outfit CPI (Maoist)’s “Resistance Week”, observed from October 8 to 14, a period that typically witnesses escalated Maoist activity and heightened security measures across affected regions.

The incident once again highlights the persistent threat of Maoist insurgency in parts of Jharkhand, underscoring the challenges faced by security forces engaged in maintaining peace and stability in the region.