CRPF commando injured in Naxal blast dies at AIIMS

New Delhi: A CRPF commando, who was wounded in an IED blast by the Naxals in Jharkhand last month, succumbed to his injuries at the AIIMS here, an official said on Friday.

Constable Sunil Kalita, 32, was injured on May 28 in the jungles of Seraikela Kharsawan district when his party encountered a number of improvised explosive device blasts during patrolling.

Kalita was first admitted to a hospital in Ranchi, but he was airlifted to Delhi and brought to the AIIMS on June 4 as he required enhanced medical care. He succumbed to his injuries on Thursday evening, the official said.

The jawan was posted with the 209th battalion of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), the elite jungle-warfare battalion of the CRPF. Fourteen other CoBRA and police personnel were injured in the incident that day.

According to the official, the commando displayed bravery as he saved his colleagues during the blast despite being grievously injured.

Kalita hailed from Assam’s Kamrup district and had joined the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in 2011. He was selected to join the CoBRA unit in 2016 and deployed for anti-Naxal operations in Jharkhand.