Bijapur (Chhattisgarh): Five Maoists and a personnel of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) were killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Wednesday, officials said. Another DRG jawan was injured in the firefight between the rebels and security personnel.
Officials said that the gun battle took place in a forest of the Gangaloor area adjoining Dantewada district when a joint team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxal operation.
The team comprised personnel of the DRG and Special Task Force (STF), both units of the state police, and Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) – an elite unit of CRPF. The Maoists laid an ambush and attacked the security forces personnel, following which the gunbattle ensured.
So far, bodies of five Naxalites have been recovered from the spot, an official said. Combing operations are still underway. Weapons have also been recovered from the site, he said.
“One DRG personnel lost his life during the operation, while another jawan sustained injuries. The injured jawan has been evacuated for treatment. Efforts are on to identify the dead Naxalites,” he added.
As many as 268 Naxalites, including top leaders of the CPI (Maoist), have been killed in encounters in Chhattisgarh so far this year.
Of them, 239 were eliminated in the Bastar division, comprising seven districts, including Bijapur and Dantewada, while 27 others were gunned down in Gariaband district, which falls in the Raipur division. Two Naxalites were killed in Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district in Durg division.
This comes days after the Maoists expressed interest in laying down arms by January 1, urging the government to cease operations against them. Wednesday’s encounter reveals that the Maoists are not serious about a peaceful resolution, the official said.
