Kanker (Chhattisgarh): Two polling personnel and a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan were injured in an IED blast triggered by Maoists in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district on Monday, the police said. The incident took place a day ahead of the polling for the first phase of the Assembly elections, they said.
The incident took place at around 4 pm when four polling parties escorted by security personnel were heading to their respective polling stations under the Chhotebethiya police station area, a police officer said. A joint team of district police and BSF set out from Marbeda camp escorting the polling teams to Rengaghati Rengagondi polling station when the incident took place, he said. He further stated that an IED exploded near Rengagondi leaving two polling personnel and BSF constable Chandraparakash Seval injured.
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The injured were promptly shifted to Chhotebethiya Hospital for treatment where their condition was said to be out of danger, he said. The rest of the polling teams have safely reached the Rengagondi polling booth which falls under the Antagarh assembly constituency. The police launched a search operation in the area. Antagarh is among the 20 constituencies, which will go to polls in the first phase of two-phase elections on Tuesday.
The BSF in a statement said, "On November 6, around 3.30 pm, while BSF operational party, along with polling officials, were on way to polling booth area when Maoists blasted three IEDs in Rengawahi, 1500 mts from the polling booth, the location falls in between Roadpara and Rengawahi. Due to the blast, one jawan sustained injuries on both legs and two polling staff also suffered minor injuries. All injured were evacuated to safety and provided medical treatment."
