1 jawan killed, another injured in Maoist attack in Jharkhand

RANCHI: One jawan of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) was killed and a police constable injured in an encounter with Maoists at Sundar Pahari in Godda district of Jharkhand on Saturday.
A few companies of SSB jawans, along with the district police, were conducting special operations in Godda, 400 km from state capital Ranchi, when the Maoists sitting in an ambush opened fire on them, killing constable Sujit Kumar Singh on the spot.
Godda shares border with Bhagalpur and Banka districts of Bihar. The two districts will go to polls in the first phase of assembly election on October 12.The spot is around 30 km from Bihar border but the operations were being conducted to secure the border in the wake of the elections, an official said.
"As per the available information, one jawan who sustained bullets has succumbed to his injuries. Another district police jawan is in critical condition. He is being provided best possible medical treatment," Jharkhand Police spokesperson SN Pradhan said.
Security has been intensified along the Jharkhand-Bihar border ahead of the Bihar elections. The Maoists make use of the hilly terrain and dense forest in the border areas to hide.
Pradan said that police have recovered one SLR left behind by the Maoists. "The Maoists ran away as security forces retaliated with force. They have also suffered heavy injuries," he said. No dead body of Maoist has, however, been recovered so far.
The police have sent additional forces to the spot to give a cover to the security personnel at the spot. The encounter has reportedly stopped and police is conducting a search operation.