IED blast kills man, injures wife in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum

JAMSHEDPUR: A 52-year-old man was killed while his 45-year-old wife sustained multiple injuries when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated in the Ichahatu village forest area of Goilkera police station in West Singhbhum on Wednesday.
The incident occurred when the couple was walking down the mud path to reach their field to water their arhar crop (red gram).
According to the police, Krishna Purty and his wife Nandi Purty accidentally stepped on to pressure-triggered explosive.
Other villagers present there rushed in and rescued the injured couple. They were taken to the government hospital in Sonua for treatment but Krishna died. His wife Nandi is stable and responding to treatment.
In the past three months, six incidents of IED blasts killing four villagers and injuring three, including a 13-year-old boy, were reported from the Goilkera and Tonto police station areas.
SP Ashutosh Shekhar said the IED was planted by the Maoists to target the security forces.
“In desperation after the extensive search and combing operations against them, the Maoists planted the IEDs in the operation areas, but villagers became the victims,” the SP said.
Shekhar further said the villagers living in the operation area have been advised to take utmost caution during their movements and alert the police on noticing any suspicious object and unattended power wires lying in the field and around forests.