A Bastar Fighters jawan was injured in an IED blast triggered by Maoists in Kavadgaon in Bijapur’s Gangaloor on Friday. The incident took place when a joint team of Bastar Fighters and District Reserve Guards were conducting a combing operation near the newly built Hiroli police camp. During the operation, jawan Arvind Ekka inadvertently stepped on a camouflaged pressure IED, causing it to explode and shatter his right leg. He received immediate medical attention at the Pusnar unit hospital and was later transported to Raipur. This month, there have been frequent skirmishes and attacks by Maoists in the area, resulting in the death of three security personnel and injuries to eight others. The Maoists have been using IEDs effectively by planting them on forest paths and roads used by the security forces. The police have successfully defused over 180 IEDs in Bijapur this year alone.