31 Maoists Killed, 2 Jawans Martyred In Chhattisgarh; 4th Encounter At Bijapur This Year

Raipur: Two security personnel and 31 Maoists were killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Sunday.

The gunfight occurred this morning during a combing operation following inputs about presence of the Red rebels at Indravati National Park, where three Maoists were gunned down in the Bandepara-Koranjed forested terrain on January 12.

“On Sunday, intermittent firing took place, and the firing is going on. There is a possibility that some Naxals have died in the firing. Our search operations are on,” the police said in a statement.

Inspector General of Police for Bastar Range, Sundarraj P, later confirmed the killing of two jawans, who were from the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Special Task Force (STF) – state-level forces that specialise in anti-Maoist operations.

“31 Maoists were killed in the encounter in the National Park area of Bijapur district. The identification of the deceased Naxals is underway, and a search operation is ongoing in the area,” ANI reported, quoting him.

The injured jawans were evacuated in a helicopter to Raipur for treatment, he added.

This encounter also comes a week after eight Maoists were killed in another operation, involving personnel of the District Reserve Guard and Special Task Force of the state police along with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and its elite unit CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action), in Bijapur district following information about the presence of cadres of the `West Bastar division’ of the Maoists in the area.

On January 6, 8 District Reserve Guard (DRG) jawans and one driver lost their lives after their vehicle was blown up by Maoist using an IED on the Bedre-Kutru Road in in the district.