Five security personnel were killed and 12 others injured on Saturday in a three-hour gunbattle with Naxalites in a forested patch along the border between Bijapur and Sukma districts in Chhattisgarh, police said.
The body of a woman Maoist was also recovered from the spot, a police officer said. A senior officer claimed the Maoists have suffered a “huge loss” in the fighting.”
“Teams of security forces, over 2,000 in number, launched a major anti-Naxalite operation from Bijapur and Sukma districts in South Bastar’s forests which is considered a Maoist stronghold on Friday night,” Deputy Inspector General (Anti-Naxalite operations) OP Pal told the media.
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), its elite unit CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action), the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Special Task Force (STF) were involved in the operation launched from five places — Tarrem, Usoor and Pamed (Bijapur) and Minpa and Narsapuram (Sukma).
“Around 12 pm on Saturday, an encounter broke out between the patrolling team from Tarrem and ultras of PLGA (Peoples’ Liberation Guerrilla Army) battalion of Maoists near Jonaguda village in the Jagargunda police station area (in Sukma),” Pal said.
The gunfight lasted for about three hours. As per information received so far, five security personnel have been killed and 12 others injured, he said. “Of the martyred personnel, one belonged to the CoBRA unit and two each are from DRG and the ‘Bastariya’ battalion of the CRPF,” he said.
A woman Naxalite was gunned down in the encounter. “Reinforcements were rushed to the spot and an operation is on to evacuate the injured jawans as well as the bodies from the forest through helicopters,” he said.
Director General of Police DM Awasthi, Task Force Commander of IAF’s Anti-Naxal Task Force (ANTF) and senior police officials monitored the rescue operation. On March 23, five DRG personnel were killed when Naxalites blew up a bus carrying security personnel in Narayanpur.