Two BSF men from K’taka killed in IED blast

Two Border Security Force personnel from Karnataka were killed in an IED blast triggered by naxals in Kanker district of Chhattisgarh on Monday.

The deceased have been identified as Santosh Laxman Gurav (28) of Halaga village in Khanapur of Belagavi district and Vijayananda Suresha Nayak (29) of Karwar.

The incident took place at around 5 pm in the forest of Tadbauli village under Chhotebethiya police station limits when a team of the BSF’s 121 battalion was out on an area domination operation on motorcycles, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Anti-Naxal Operation) Sundarraj P told PTI over the phone.

When the team was passing through a dirt track near Tadbauli, about 7km from the BSF’s Marbeda camp, the motorcycle was blown away in the blast carried out by the Naxals using an improvised explosive device (IED) hidden underground, he said.

The jawans were seriously injured and died while being taken out of the forest, the DIG added.

Gurav, the only son for his family, had joined BSF five years ago. He is survived by mother, wife and three sisters. He had married last year and was expecting a child soon. Gurav’s body will be brought to Khanapur on Wednesday and later it will be taken to Halaga village for last rites, sources said.

Vijayananda Nayaka hailed from Komarapanthawada of Karwar.

He had joined BSF four years ago and is survived by parents, brother and sister.