A Naxal was killed in a retaliatory firing by a small contingent of police force on Saturday in a jungle patch of Bijapur district under Bastar region, a senior police officer informed. The deceased Naxal belonged to Jan-militia platoon of the banned terror outfit, Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), Superintendent of Police Bijapur, Prashant Agrawal, informed.
According to him, a team of the District Force (DF) was dispatched on Saturday for area domination exercise from Gangaloor police station and a few Naxals opened fire on police team when the police party was passing through a forested area near village Todka and Savnar.
“About 9 km from Gangloor police station in a forested patch the left-wing insurgents opened fire on the police party. The police jawans took position and retaliated with heavy gun fire,” said Agrawal.
The gun battle lasted for about 45 minutes and Naxals were forced to run away. The DF jawans in a combing operation after the gun battle found the body of a Naxal who was later identified as Hemla Budhu (20), resident of Savnar under the limits of Gangloor police station.
Police has also recovered a 303 rifle, 7 live rounds of 12 bore gun, a pressure bomb mechanism, radio, camera flash and other items from the gun battle site.