A 58-year-old Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) inspector, who had sustained critical injuries in a Maoist-triggered explosion in Jharkhand earlier this month, succumbed to his wounds at AIIMS, New Delhi, on Thursday.
Inspector Kaushal Kumar Mishra, a native of Bihar and part of the 60th Battalion of the CRPF, was severely injured in his left leg after an improvised explosive device (IED) went off during an anti-Naxal operation in West Singhbhum district on October 10, officials said.
Mishra was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences the next day for advanced medical treatment. Despite continuous medical care, he passed away in the early hours of October 30. At the time of the incident, Mishra was leading a team of personnel conducting a patrol in the dense North Saranda forests, one of the areas long affected by left-wing extremism.
Two other CRPF personnel were also wounded in the blast, including Constable Mahendra Laskar, 45, of Assam, who had died the day after the explosion.
Security officials said that IEDs continue to pose the gravest risk to forces deployed in Maoist-affected zones, even as Naxal activities have seen a significant decline in recent years. The Union government has maintained that left-wing extremism will be fully eradicated from the country by March 2026.
Also Read: Eleven drown in Jharkhand during Chhath Puja rituals
Follow us
