Woman injured as IED planted by Naxalites explodes in Chhattisgarh
Bijapur (PTI): A woman in her mid-50s was injured on Wednesday when an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by Naxalites went off after she stepped on it in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, police said.
The incident took place around 6.30 am when Jogi, a resident of Nadpalli village under Usoor police station area, was collecting forest produce, a police official said.
She accidently stepped on the pressured IED triggering a blast, causing serious injuries to her legs, he said.
Jogi was immediately taken to a health centre in Usoor where she was administered preliminary treatment before being referred to the Bijapur district hospital, he said.
Maoists often plant IEDs along roads, under construction roads and dirt tracks in forests to target patrolling security personnel in interior pockets of the Bastar region comprising seven districts including Bijapur. Scores of civilians have fallen prey to such traps in Bastar, police said.
According to police, five persons have been killed in Naxal-planted IED blasts at separate places in Bijapur district in the last two-and-a-half months.
On June 2, a 22-year-old man was injured in a similar incident in Tarrem area of the district.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
