IED event in Jharkhand, Maradiri in West Singhbhum area, India on Wed 15th February 2023

A 58-year-old woman, identified as Randaya Purti (58), was killed in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast that took place in the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)-infested jungles of Kolhan near Maradiri village under the Goelkera Police Station limits in West Singhbhum District of Jharkhand on February 15, reports The New Indian Express. Randaya Purti had gone to collect firewood from the Kolhan jungles near Maradiri village when she stepped over an IED planted by the Maoists and got killed in the IED blast. The Maoists had distributed pamphlets in the villages adjacent to the Kolhan jungles, warning the villagers not to enter deep into the jungles as they had planted IEDs there to check on Security Forces (SFs) entering the jungles. The incident underscores the ongoing challenges faced by SFs in the region, as Maoists resort to using IEDs such as Pressure Cooker Modified Nitrate Mixture (PMNK) to target both security personnel and civilians.