CRPF deputy commandant injured in encounter with Naxals in Jharkhand

• CRPF Deputy Commandant Deepak Kumar Tiwari was injured in an encounter with Naxals in West Singhbhum district
• Tiwari airlifted to a hospital in Ranchi after sustaining bullet t injury in his elbow
• Encounter took place during a search operation in the Naxal-infested Goelkera area

CRPF Deputy Commandant Deepak Kumar Tiwari was injured in an encounter with Naxals in a forest stretch under the Goelkera thana area of ​​West Singhbhum district about 120 km away on Wednesday morning.

Tiwari, who sustained a bullet injury in his elbow, was airlifted to a hospital in Ranchi immediately after the incident. The encounter took place in a jungle known as Panchalataburu in the hinterland of the Naxal-infested Goelkera thana area at about 11:30 am.

The encounter began when police and paramilitary forces were conducting a search operation in Panchalataburu and captured a forest stretch.

The operation was launched on intelligence that a squad of Naxals, possibly including some top rebel leaders, was anchored at Panchalatabura. As the police and paramilitary forces launched a search operation, the Naxals started firing at the jawans. CRPF Deputy Commandant Tiwari, who was leading the troops, came to the firing range and was injured.

Several Naxals were suspected to have been injured in the retaliatory firing. The counter-insurgency operation at Panchalatabura is still going on.

It may be mentioned here that a large number of CPI-Maoist rebels, including top Naxal leaders like Misir Besra and Anal, have infiltrated the dense forest cover in Kolhan and adjoining Porahat forest divisions of West Singhbhum since early January this year.

The Naxals entered the forest divisions after deploying an unspecified number of IEDs in the dense forest cover. Police have launched counter-insurgency operations in the restive forest area since January 11 and are gradually clearing the area of ​​IEDs. But while carrying out operations, around 18 paramilitary jawans have been injured so far, mostly in IED blasts.

Unfortunately, about a dozen innocent villagers lost their lives in two forest divisions due to the evil plan of the Naxals who tried to turn the forest divisions into their 'home' after being flushed out of the Sarada forest.