Friday’s Maoist-planted IED explosion in Bijapur’s Lankapalli forest left Raju Modiyami with a mangled foot, yet his seven-kilometer trek to help defies belief. The blast’s ferocity shattered his right heel as he passed through the impenetrable jungle.
Bleeding heavily, Modiyami pushed through pain, reaching a local health center where he got preliminary treatment and was rushed to the district hospital in Bijapur. Medical experts are now focused on salvaging his foot amid a precarious prognosis.
The facility’s updates reveal ongoing surgeries for the heel injury and related damages; he’s stable but critical.
Such devices litter Naxal-affected zones, primed for patrols but ensnaring locals who sustain themselves via forest gathering. Authorities warn of the lethal risk to Adivasi communities and have deployed search teams to clear Lankapalli of explosives.
Applause echoes for Modiyami’s grit, a beacon in adversity. This comes amid security victories, like the elimination of six Maoists—four women among them—in a recent Bijapur clash involving DRG, CoBRA, and STF, weakening insurgent hold.
The narrative amplifies calls for robust anti-IED measures and socioeconomic upliftment to shield innocents from the shadows of rebellion in India’s tribal belts.