Villager injured in bomb explosion triggered by Naxals

A villager was seriously injured when a pressure bomb laid by Naxals on Thursday exploded in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district, police said.

The bomb exploded when the victim, Churan Lal, a native of Balod district, was going to work in a field in the restive Kurri village under Korar police station limits of the Maoist-hit district, a senior police official told PTI.

When Lal and other villagers were going to work this morning, they spotted a Naxal banner hanging on a tree near a pond on the village outskirts, the official said. When he tried to go near the banner, Lal inadvertently stepped on the ground under which the pressure bomb was laid. The bomb then suddenly exploded, leaving him seriously injured, he said.

Villagers rushed to inform the police, following which security forces rushed to the spot and Lal was admitted to Kanker district hospital, the official said, adding that his condition is stated to be critical.

The bomb trap was apparently laid to harm security personnel but the villager fell prey to it, he said.

Security forces have launched a manhunt in the region to nab the culprits, police said.