#BreakingNews: CRPF Officer Succumbs to Injuries from Jharkhand IED Explosion

In a heartbreaking turn amid Jharkhand's escalating anti-Naxal crackdown, Head Constable Mahendra Laskar of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has succumbed to severe injuries from a pressure-activated improvised explosive device (IED) blast in the dense Saranda forest. The 45-year-old from Assam, serving with the elite 60th Battalion, was airlifted to Apollo Hospital in Rourkela, Odisha, but breathed his last early Saturday, leaving behind a grieving family and comrades vowing justice.

The deadly ambush unfolded late Friday in the Babudera-Samta axis under Jaraikela police station limits in West Singhbhum district—a Maoist stronghold notorious for its labyrinthine trails and hidden traps. Laskar and two fellow warriors—an inspector and an assistant sub-inspector—were conducting a high-stakes area domination exercise when two IEDs, suspected to be the handiwork of the banned CPI (Maoist), detonated in quick succession. The blasts, triggered during the outfit's provocative 'resistance week' that kicked off on October 8, caught the patrol off-guard, hurling shrapnel and chaos into the undergrowth.

While the inspector and ASI are battling for recovery in the same Rourkela facility, their conditions remain stable under intensive care, according to a somber statement from Jharkhand Police Headquarters. "Laskar's unyielding courage in the face of terror will echo through our ranks," CRPF's official X post mourned, sharing images of the evacuation chopper slicing through the night sky. Hailing from Assam's verdant plains, Laskar embodied the force's ethos of selfless service, his sacrifice underscoring the perilous toll of India's Maoist insurgency, which has claimed over 1,000 lives in the Red Corridor since 2020.

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Jharkhand's law enforcement apparatus, already on razor-edge alert, has ramped up operations statewide. Inspector General (Operations) Michael Raj revealed Thursday that 12 CRPF battalions, bolstered by 20 units of Jharkhand Armed Police (JAP) and India Reserve Battalion (IRB), are fanning out to preempt further strikes. The Maoists, cornered and desperate, have escalated tactics, including a shutdown call for October 15, but security brass dismisses it as a hollow roar from a fading beast.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah's recent clarion call—urging youth to shun violence for development—resonates amid this fresh tragedy, as reinforcements pour into West Singhbhum. Governor and Chief Minister extended tributes, pledging comprehensive support to Laskar's kin and reaffirming the state's iron resolve to eradicate Naxalism. "His blood will water the seeds of peace," the CM intoned, as flags dipped in salute across barracks.

For the CRPF's unsung sentinels patrolling these emerald killing fields, Laskar's fall is a stark reminder of the razor-thin line between duty and destiny. As dawn breaks over Saranda's mist-shrouded ridges, the hunt intensifies—not just for vengeance, but for a future where IEDs rust forgotten and heroes like Mahendra Laskar rest in honored peace.

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