Three Maoists killed in separate encounters at Chhattisgarh, Maha

GADCHIROLI, RAIPUR: Two women maoists and a self-styled “deputy commander” were gunned down in separate encounters in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district and Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district on Monday, officials said.

In Gadchiroli, the gun battle broke out between the ultras and C-60 commandos, a specialised combat unit of the Gadchiroli police, in Nihalkay forest area under Dhanora taluka around 8.30 am, Teh district’s additional auperintendent of police Mahendra Pandit said. The commandos were on an anti-Naxal operation in the area since Sunday night, he said. “The exchange of fire continued for about half-an-hour. Later, during a search, bodies of two armed Maoists were found,” he said.

Meanwhile, another gunbattle took place in the forest of Pandupara village in Sukma when a team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) was out on an anti-naxal operation, Special Director General (antinaxal operation) D M Awasthi said. The squad of DRG, the state police’s counter-insurgency force, had launched the operation towards Sirsetti and Muler villages, located around 500km from the capital Raipur, Sunday night, he said.

When the patrolling team was cordoning off forest near Panudpara Monday, it came under fire from a group of naxals that led to the gunfight.

After a brief exchange of fire, Maoists fled into core forest area, the senior police officer added. During a search of the spot, the troops recovered the body of a rebel who was identified as Chinga, a “deputy commander” of the Kerlapal area committee of Maoists, Awasthi said.

3 SECURITY PERSONNEL INJURED IN IED BLAST

Three jawans of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) of police were injured, one of them seriously, in a blast carried out by Naxals in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district Sunday, an official said.

WHEN THE PATROLLING TEAM WAS CORDONING OFF FOREST NEAR PANUDPARA MONDAY, IT CAME UNDER FIRE FROM A GROUP OF NAXALS THAT LED TO THE GUNFIGHT