Chaibasa, February 10 Two people were injured in an IED blast at the Saranda forest in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district on Tuesday evening, police said.
The incident occurred near the Tirilposi village in the Jaraikella police station area, they said.
"The villagers had gone to the forest to collect firewood and accidentally stepped on the IED, suspected to have been placed by Maoists to target security forces," Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Renu told PTI.
"We are trying to ascertain the extent of the injuries, after which a decision will be made on whether to provide treatment in West Singhbhum or transfer them to Ranchi," he said.
Renu said that although security forces have gained the upper hand after the recent elimination of top Maoists in the Saranda forest, the IEDs placed by them still pose a threat to the villagers.
Jaraikella police station's officer-in-charge Amit Kumar Paswan said that both the injured are men and they were trying to gather information about the nature of their injuries and other details, as the location is remote.
According to police records, 30 villagers and 10 security personnel have lost their lives in Naxal violence in the district in the last three years.
