RANCHI: Countless IEDs (improvised explosive devices), planted by Maoists to check the advance of security forces into the hinterlands of Jharkhand to uncover Maoist hideouts, has been posing significant challenges to ongoing anti-Maoist operations in the Saranda jungles of Chaibasa. Since November 2022, as many as six security personnel have lost their lives while 20 others have been critically injured. Besides, around 22 civilians have been claimed and dozen others have been wounded in IED blasts triggered by Maoists in Chaibasa forests.In March this year alone, three IED blasts took place in Saranda jungles; three jawans were injured on March 5, one was injured on March 16, while a CRPF sub-inspector Sunil Mandal was martyred and a CRPF head constable was injured in an IED explosion on March 22.Notably, Maoists are now restricted only to Saranda jungles in Jharkhand as they have been wiped out from other remote pockets of the state. According to an estimate, around 85 – 90 Maoists are purportedly hiding in Saranda jungles, where they have apparentplanted thousands of IEDs, which has become a challenge for security forces.According to police sources, on an average, more than 300 IEDs have been recovered every year since November 2022; with a maximum weight of 50 kg. In 2023, 55 IEDs, planted in a series, were recovered.In August 2023, a Maoist hideout was busted by security forces from where around 500 kg of explosives, along with 60-65 IEDs, were recovered.
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