RAIPUR: At least 30 cadres of the banned CPI (Maoist) were killed in two separate encounters in Bastar division, south Chhattisgarh, on Thursday, as security forces intensified operations against left-wing insurgency.According to Bastar police, a joint team of security forces launched an anti-Maoist operation based on specific intelligence inputs. Around 7 AM, an encounter broke out in the dense forests along the inter-district border of Bijapur and Dantewada, where at least 26 Naxalites were neutralized. During the exchange of fire, a District Reserve Guard (DRG) jawan from Bijapur lost his life.The operation comes over a month after an encounter in Bijapur’s Indravati National Park area, where 31 Naxalites and two security personnel were killed.State Home Minister Vijay Sharma confirmed that 18 bodies have been recovered so far, while search operations are still ongoing. “In a big success, so far, the forces have neutralized 18 ultras, and their bodies have been recovered. One DRG jawan was martyred during the gunfight. The exchange of fire and simultaneous search operations are still underway,” he said.Several weapons and explosives were also seized from the encounter site.
Source link
