Four CRPF Personnel Injured in Blast During Explosives Disposal in Chhattisgarh

Four personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were injured, two of them seriously, in an accidental explosion during the disposal of unserviceable and leftover explosives in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, police said on Friday.

The incident occurred on Thursday evening near the Elarmadgu security camp, under the jurisdiction of Bheji police station in the Konta range, an official said.

An Ammunition Technical Team (ATT) of the CRPF’s 50th battalion had arrived from Jagdalpur to inspect security camps in the area and safely dispose of explosives that were no longer serviceable or had been left over.

The team was carrying out the disposal operation near Bodrajpadar Nala, around 200 metres from the security camp, while following prescribed safety protocols, the official said.

During the process, a fragment of an explosive accidentally flew off, landed nearby and detonated, resulting in injuries to four personnel deployed for security and the disposal operation.

The injured were identified as Assistant Sub-Inspectors M K Tiwari and Anees Khan, Inspector Amarnath Mishra, and Head Constable Kuldeep Raj. All four belong to the CRPF’s 50th battalion, the official said.

Both Assistant Sub-Inspectors sustained serious injuries, while the condition of the other two personnel was not immediately specified. Following the explosion, the injured personnel were provided first aid and shifted to the government hospital in Konta, where they are currently undergoing treatment.

Arrangements were being made to transfer the two seriously injured personnel to another medical facility for advanced treatment, the official added. The team had been assigned the task of inspecting camps and disposing of unserviceable and leftover explosives as part of its work in the region.

The circumstances surrounding the accidental detonation were not immediately known beyond the details provided by officials. Further information on the condition of the injured personnel was awaited.