Jharkhand: CRPF jawan martyred in gunbattle with Maoists

Giridih (Jharkhand): A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan was killed in an encounter with Maoist rebels in Jharkhand`s Giridih district on Friday morning.

The gunshots were fired from both two sides in Patharchhapra forest area of Giridih district. Last month, from Latehar area of Jharkhand CRPF had seized 59 Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) of 1 kg each along with 50 m of codex wire in Bikra forest area at the cusp of Herhanj and Manika police stations.

The rebels have operated for decades across a wide swath of central and eastern parts of the country and have grown in strength during recent times.

They have killed police and politicians and targeted government buildings and railway tracks in an insurgency that has left hundereds dead in the last three-or-so decades.