Four Maoists killed in encounter with police in Chhattisgarh

Four Naxals, including a commander-rank cadre, were killed in a fierce gun-battle with police in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Friday.

Four Maoists, including the intelligence chief of Bhairamgarh unit of outlawed CPI (Maoist), were killed in an encounter with the security forces near the forested terrain of Hallur in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, about 380 kms south of Raipur on Friday.

As police cordoned off a forest axis between Hallur and Hakwa villages, a group of armed insurgents opened indiscriminate fire on them triggering a gun-battle between the two sides. (Ajay Aggarwal/HT photo for representation)

“Acting on a specific tip-off from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) about the possible major attack planned by Maoists in the region, a joint team of Bijapur district police force and specially trained District Reserve Guards (DRG) launched the search operation. Close to Hallur, the rebels opened fire on the forces. In the ensuing gun-battle, four Maoists, including the head of intelligence wing of Bhairamgarh unit, identified as Rainu, were killed,” the additional superintendent of police of Bijapur, Indira Kalyan Elesela told Hindustan Times.

There were around 55 personnel who embarked upon the operation. There is no report of any injury sustained by the forces.

Following an hour-long gunfight, the bodies of four rebels were recovered from the encounter site along with their weapons. “The police found a pistol, two rifles and a 12 bore gun from the spot,” Elesela, who planned the operation, further said.

Maoists are present in at least 16 out of 27 districts of Chhattisgarh, but are the most active in south Chhattisgarh’s Bastar. Bijapur is among the seven districts of Bastar zone worst affected by Maoist violence.