COBRA battalion personnel killed in encounter with Maoists

The police said the Maoists too suffered gunshot injuries and one of them may have been killed.

A 32-year-old personnel of COBRA battalion of the CRPF was killed in an encounter with the Maoists deep in a forest under Peertand police station area of Giridih district Friday morning.

The police said the Maoists too suffered gunshot injuries and one of them may have been killed. Search operations were continuing in the area.

Police said Bolen Harijan, a resident of Baripet district in Assam, was hit by a bullet during an operation around 6.30 am. He was taken to the district hospital where he died. Police said the operation was launched in the Patthalgada forest on Thursday night following information that a Maoist group was moving in the area. “The forest was cordoned off… In the morning, when the Maoists were engaged, they retaliated. In the exchange of fire, Bolen was injured,” said IG (Operations) M S Bhatia.