Deputy commandant Rajesh Kumar martyred in Jharkhand Latehar

In Latehar, Jharkhand, Border Security Force Deputy Commandant Rajesh Kumar was martyred in an encounter with Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad, an extremist rebel organization separated from CPI (M). Rajesh Kumar was posted as a Deputy Commandant in Jharkhand Jaguar, the assault force of the State Police. 

According to the police sources, security forces had an encounter with the rebels of the Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad at around 3.30 pm in the Nawagarh area of Latehar on Tuesday (September 28).

Kumar was seriously injured in the encounter and was taken to Medica Hospital in Ranchi for treatment in the evening, where he died because of severe damage to the heart and lungs due to bullet injuries. Rajesh Kumar, 41, was a resident of the Lal Darwaza area of Munger district of Bihar. He joined Jharkhand Jaguar in September 2018. According to information received from Medica Hospital, the deputy commandant was hit by two bullets.

Confirming the incident, State Police ADG Operation Sanjay Anand Lathkar said that Latehar Police had been tipped off that several JJMP rebels were gathering in the forests of Nawagarh and were planning to execute some major attack. Based on the information, JJ, District Police, and CRPF jointly launched an operation to nab the rebels. But during the operation, the terrorists started firing and forced the security forces to retaliate.

He said, "In this whole incident, one of our Deputy Commandants got seriously injured and succumbed to his injuries during treatment." The police have also recovered several weapons from the spot and speculated that many insurgents were seriously injured in the encounter. With the death of Commandant Rajesh Kumar, the number of security personnel who had been martyred in the attacks by Left-Wing Extremists this year has gone up to five in the state.

Havildar Devendra Kumar Pandit of Jharkhand Jaguar, Sepoy Haridwar Sah, Kiran Surin, and SAT jawan Dileshwar Prasad were martyred in different encounters by the terrorists this year. It should be noted that Jharkhand is facing a serious problem with Left Wing Extremism due to which encounters between the militants and the police have been happening regularly in the Maoist affected districts: Gumla, Lohardaga, Latehar and West Singhbhum.