CAF jawan killed in IED blast in Chhattisgarh

The deceased, head constable Ram Ashish Yadav, was part of a road opening party — an operation to clear both sides of the road before any force movement in order to prevent a potential Maoist ambush.

Ram Ashish Yadav. (Photo Credit: Special Arrangement)

A 48-year-old Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) jawan was killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district Sunday afternoon while he was clearing a road to ensure the safe movement of security forces.

The force had set out at around 3.30 pm from the Bechapal police camp — located near the Dantewada district border in a forest around 75 km away from Bijapur headquarters. It was moving from Gandokalpara to Kutulpara when the blast took place in Bechapal Padampara.

The deceased, head constable Ram Ashish Yadav, was part of a road opening party — an operation to clear both sides of the road before any force movement in order to prevent a potential Maoist ambush.

Asked if an IED detector device was not used during the ROP, a police official said: “The Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) team was there but risks have to be taken as the area is huge.”

Police said the Bechapal camp was set up more than a year ago and that Maoists regularly plant IEDs to restrict police movement and cause casualties.

Yadav stepped on the pressure-triggered IED, which killed him on the spot. He had joined the police force in 1997 and was a resident of Ballia in Uttar Pradesh. An FIR for murder has been registered at Mirtur police station.

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