Maoist commander killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh; weapons, literature recovered

The gun battle took place early on Friday morning in the jungles of Jaramongia jungles under Bhairamgarh police station limits when a joint team of District Reserve Guard (DRG) and local police was out on an anti-Maoist operation.

A Maoist commander was gunned down on Friday in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s insurgency-hit Bijapur district, police said.

The deceased Maoist was identified as Moti Farsa (28), who was active as a militia platoon commander of the Maoists. (AFP/File Photo)

The gun battle took place early on Friday morning in the jungles of Jaramongia jungles under Bhairamgarh police station limits when a joint team of District Reserve Guard (DRG) and local police was out on an anti-Maoist operation, Bijapur superintendent of police Mohit Garg told PTI.

“When the patrolling team was cordoning off Jaramongia jungles, located around 500 kms away from the state capital, it came under heavy fire by a group of 25-30 ultras following which a gun battle broke out between the two sides,” he said.

The exchange of fire lasted for about an hour, after which the ultras fled into the dense forest, he said.

“During the search thereafter, the body of a uniform-clad Maoist, along with one 7.62 mm pistol and its three live rounds, explosives, detonators, a tiffin bomb, Maoist literature and other related items were recovered from the spot,” he said.

The deceased Maoist was identified as Moti Farsa (28), who was active as a militia platoon commander of the Maoists, Garg said. Further details are awaited as security forces are still carrying out a search of the area, he added.