Jeypore, April 04: At least seven jawans of the elite Special Operation Group (SOG) of Orissa Police, raised specially to fight Maoists, were feared killed, and 15 others injured, some of them critically, in a powerful landmine blast triggered by the Maoists at Mantriamba village under Baipariguda police station of Koraput district today.
Police said 22 jawans of the SOG were moving in a vehicle from Jeypore towards Malkangiri to clear the road for the movement of BSF jawans to conduct anti-Maoist operation when the incident occurred, about eight km from Baipariguda.
The injured SOG jawans were shifted to Baipariguda Hospital.
Police said the casualty might rise as some jawans were critically injured in the explosion.
The authorities have rushed additional police forces to the spot to launch intensive combing operation to flush out the Maoists from the area.
—Agencies