RANCHI/GUWAHATI: Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) head constable Mahendra Laskar was killed and two colleagues were wounded after two IEDs planted by Maoists exploded during an anti-insurgency operation in Saranda forest of Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district Friday night.Police said Saturday that Laskar, a 45-year-old native of Nagaon district in Assam, died during treatment at a private hospital in Odisha’s Rourkela. Two others – inspector KK Mishra and ASI Ram Krishna Gogi – were wounded but are now stable.The explosions occurred when a joint team of Jharkhand police and CRPF personnel was carrying out a search operation in Saranda. Mishra was wounded in the first blast, while Laskar and Gogi were hit by the second. Security forces later cordoned off the area as operations to trace the Maoists continued through Saturday.West Singhbhum SP Amit Renu said combing operations had been intensified to “hunt down the culprits responsible for the blasts”.Laskar is survived by his wife, a son, and his mother. One of his brothers is also with CRPF and posted in J&K.Speaking from Kowariati village in Nagaon, Mausumi said her husband had spoken to her shortly before the operation. “He told me it would be a long operation and he might not be able to contact us soon,” she said. “His last call was from a hilltop where he got a weak signal. Minutes later, he went out for duty. That was the last time we spoke.”Condolences poured in from across states. Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed grief. Sarma posted on X: “The nation will remember his sacrifice with gratitude.” Jharkhand governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar, junior defence minister Sanjay Seth, and state minister Chamra Linda were among those who paid homage to Laskar at the CRPF’s 133rd Battalion HQ in Dhurwa.The Jharkhand governor described Laskar’s death as “deeply saddening” and said efforts were on to strengthen counter-Maoist measures. Minister Linda said state govt would extend full assistance to the bereaved family.
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