BDS team searching for gunpowder before clearing the way for the soldiers.
Date- 6 January 2025 Soldier’s vehicle blown up by IED blast in Bijapur, 9 martyred.
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Date- 26 April 2022 Soldier’s vehicle blasted in Aranpur, Dantewada, 11 martyred.
Date- 23 March 2021 Bus blown up by IED blast in Narayanpur, 5 martyred, 12 injured.
Date- 9 April 2019 MLA’s car blown up by blast in Shyamgiri, Dantewada, 5 martyred.
Date- November 2018 Bus blown up in Bacheli, 5 civilians including jawan killed.
These are those Naxal incidents that happened in Bastar, where Naxalites had buried IED under the under construction or uprooted road. The command pressed a button of the IED and blasted everything from buses to vehicles loaded with soldiers. It is not that search operations and de-mining never took place on these roads. But the metal detector of BDS could not detect these IEDs.
Because, the metal detector given to the BDS team deployed in Bastar has the capability of finding IED only 2 feet. If the Maoists have planted an IED of 50-50 kg within 5 to 7 feet of the road or footpath, then the soldiers will not be able to find it. Unless the smell of gunpowder is detected, even the force’s sniffer dogs fail to find an IED.
Soldiers searching on the road from Bijapur to Kutru.
The metal detector’s ability to detect IED is only 2 feet.
8 DRG jawans and one driver martyred in the blast
This is the biggest reason for the recent incident that took place in Bijapur on 6 January. Dainik Bhaskar Sources told the team that, before bringing the soldiers from Bedre Camp towards Kutru, ROP i.e. Road Opening Party was taken out in the area. BDS team was also present. But, could not detect the IED. 8 DRG jawans and a driver were martyred in the blast.
If the Maoists have planted an IED of even 50-50 kg within 5 to 7 feet, then the soldiers will not be able to find it.
There is more danger from gunpowder buried underground than from bullets.
In Bastar, there is more danger from face-to-face fighting with Naxalites and from gunpowder buried underground than bullets. Many times, when soldiers go out on search operations, Maoists plant IEDs one and a half to two feet deep in trees or footpaths to harm them. These are mostly small pressure IEDs of 2, 3 or 5 kg. There is an explosion when the foot hits it.
This is the road from Kutru to Bedre. Naxalites had cut the road here, which was later repaired. There was an explosion on this road.
Command presses IED within 5 to 7 feet
Maoists plant command IEDs about 5 to 7 feet under the roads. These IEDs are of 40, 50, 60 or 70 kg. It is pressed too low so that the soldiers cannot find it, or so that the IED remains safe so that it does not suffer any damage from any side. The capacity of 50-60 kg IED is so much that it can destroy even an armored vehicle.
In the blast in Bijapur, Maoists had used only 60 kg IED. After the blast, the body parts of the soldiers along with the vehicle were thrown to a distance of about 500 meters.
BDS jawans said – If there are good machines then it will be easy to find.
Khetu Ram Sori, a soldier of Bijapur BDS team, told Dainik Bhaskar that the machine his team is currently using. They are able to find a big IED about one and a half to two feet inside.
He said that many times it happens that this machine is not able to find the IED buried deep inside and later a major incident occurs. The soldier said that if they get good machines, they will foil all the plans of the Naxalites.
Bijapur BDS team soldier Khetu Ram Sori talked to Dainik Bhaskar.
This team is at the forefront of the operation
In fact, whenever a search operation is conducted against Naxalites, the BDS team remains ahead of the entire group of soldiers. There are also search dogs. Only these clear the way.
3459 IEDs found in last 24 years
During search operations in Bastar, soldiers have recovered a total of 3459 IEDs in the last 24 years (from 2001 to 13 December 2024). Also, a total of 1313 soldiers have been martyred so far due to encounter and IED blast in Bastar.
After the IED blast in Bijapur, a 10 feet deep crater was formed, this is proof that the Naxalites had planted the bomb about 5 feet below. Dainik Bhaskar reporters went into the crater and showed pictures of how powerful the explosion was.
So many IEDs recovered in last 5 years
- 278 IED recovered in year 2020
- 163 IED recovered in year 2021
- 128 IED recovered in the year 2022
- 242 IED recovered in the year 2023
- 311 IED recovered in the year 2024
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Also read this news related to this…
Bijapur Naxalite attack… 3 years ago the vehicle was blown up by laying gunpowder: Naxalites had planted IED while the road was being built, DRG was the target
Naxalites blew up a force vehicle with IED blast in Bijapur. 8 soldiers were martyred in the attack.
date 6 January, time 2 pm and place Ambeli village of Kutru. This is the time and date when Naxalites blasted a vehicle loaded with DRG soldiers in Bijapur district. In this, 8 soldiers and one driver were martyred. This is the first biggest Naxalite attack of the year 2025. Read the full news…
