M A I N   N E W S

Maoists strike in Jharkhand’s Bokaro district
Mine blast kills 14 STF personnel

Ranchi, December 2
At least 14 security personnel belonging to the Special Task Force (STF) were killed in a landmine blast suspected to have been triggered by Maoist rebels in Jharkhand’s Bokaro district on Saturday.

“The 16-member security team was on a routine long-range patrolling when the blast took place at around 3 pm. Twelve died on the spot while two died in course of treatment,” Mr Gauri Shankar Rath, Additional Director-General of police, said. The landmine was planted at a culvert.The two injured personnel are undergoing treatment at the Bokaro hospital. Thirteen security personnel were killed in October last year in a landmine blast in Chatra.Maoist rebels are active in 16 of the state’s 22 districts. Nearly 550 people, including 245 security personnel, have been killed in the past five years.