Girl killed, 2 women injured after IED ‘planted by Maoists’ explodes in remote Jharkhand village

IG (Operations) Michael Raj confirmed the incident and said the explosion occurred deep inside a forest area. The blast site falls within the jurisdiction of the Jarikaela police station.

Raj said that some people told police the girl who died in the incident was a minor, but that her exact age was yet to be verified. The injured women were identified as Kalani Dhanwar (25) and Birsi Dhanwar (32), the IG said.

“Their condition is normal and not life-threatening,” he said, noting that one of them suffered minor injuries. He said that the women were taken to a nearby health centre immediately after the explosion.

They were rushed to the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Manoharpur, where doctors provided emergency treatment. According to health officials, the injured were being prepared for referral after receiving primary care.

The girl, however, was critically injured in the blast and succumbed to her injuries while receiving treatment at the CHC.

According to the IG, the women had gone inside the forest to collect pattas and firewood when they accidentally triggered the explosive. “Eyewitnesses said they heard a loud sound and rushed to pull the injured out of the forest,” he said.

Following the incident, security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to locate additional explosives.