Close shave for security personnel as Maoists detonate IED

A group of security personnel had a close shave today as Maoists detonated a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) blast in a dense forest in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Kanker district, police said.
No one was injured in the explosion.
The incident happened this morning in the forest under Chhote Bethiya police station limits when a district force was patrolling the region. However, no casualties were reported, a police official said.
The patrolling was launched based on inputs that Maoists had put up posters and banners in the interiors of Chhote Bethiya, around 250 kms from here, as a part of People's Liberation Guerrilla Army(PLGA)weekbeing observed fromDecember2 to 8 in honour of slain leaders of the CPI (Maoist)'s armed wing, he said.

"When the police party reached Bechaghat forest, the explosion occurred ahead of them, though no injuries or casualties were reported in the incident," he said.
Soon after the explosion, a combing operation was launched in the region to trace the attackers, he said.

In view of the PLGA week,security was beefed up across theinsurgency-hit areas of Chhattisgarh, particularly in Bastar region, as during this period Maoists try to intensify their activities, the official said.
The Bastar division,which isspread in an area over 40,000 sq kms,comprises of seven districts - Dantewada, Bijapur, Bastar, Narayanpur, Kondagaon, Sukma and Kanker.
In Chhattisgarh, 16 of 27 districts areNaxal-hit in varying degrees, with significant consolidation in southern part of the state bordering AP,Maharashtraand Odisha.