8 Maoists, 1 security personnel killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur
Police said the gunfight started on Saturday morning in the forest of Abhujmad when a joint team of the security personnel from four districts was out on an anti-Naxal operation
Eight Maoists and a police constable were killed in a gun fight that lasted for over 24 hours between security forces and rebels in dense forest in Narayanpur district on Saturday, police said, adding that two others were injured.
“The gunfight started on Saturday morning in the forest of Abhujmad when a joint team of the security personnel from four districts - Narayanpur, Kanker, Dantewada and Kondagaon - was out on an anti-Naxal operation,” Additional Director General ( Anti-Naxal operations), Vivekanand Sinha said.
“Eight Maoists were killed in the face off. One jawan was also killed in the gun fight and two other suffered injuries,” Sinha said, adding that police have recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition from the spot.
“The injured jawans are out of danger,” the ADG added.
Inspector General of Police, Bastar range, Sunderaj P said that an anti-naxal operation was launched on June 12 in which personnel of District Reserve Guard (DRG) from four districts, Special Task Force (STF) and the 53rd battalion of the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) were sent to the jungle.
“We had information that senior Maoist leaders of Maad Division of CPI ( Maoist ) were camping in Kutul, Frasbeda and Kodtameta villages of Abujhmaad forest under Kohkapeta police station area hence a joint team was sent for a search operation on June 12. During the search operation on Saturday morning at around 7 am , firing started in all these villages. One STF constable Nitesh Ekka died after he was hit by the bullet while two others –Kailash Netam and Lekhram Netam were injured,” said the IG.
Sunderaj said that the injured were airlifted to Raipur and their condition is out of danger.
“ After the firing stopped, eight bodies of Maoists were recovered from the jungle. Police have also recovered one Insas rifle, one .303rifle , BGL launcher and other arms and ammunition from the spot,” said the IG.
The killed Maoists are yet to be identified and the process of identification has started, he added.
“ We are hoping that more Maoists have been killed in the encounter and search operation will continue,” Sunderaj said.
With this incident, 131 Maoists have been killed so far this year in separate encounters with security forces in the state.
On June 7, seven Maoosts were killed in Narayanpur in an encounter with security forces while on May 23, seven Maoists were killed in an encounter in a forest on Narayanpur-Bijapur inter-district border.
On May 10, 12 Maoists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Bijapur district.
Ten Maoists, including three women, were killed in an encounter with security personnel in a forest along the border of Narayanpur and Kanker districts on April 30.
Before that, 29 Maoists were gunned down in an encounter with security forces in the state’s Kanker district on April 16, according to police.
