In several encounters with security forces in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, 10 Naxalites were killed, while one CRPF jawan was injured

Ten Naxalites, including a woman, were neutralised by security personnel during several encounters during a significant anti-insurgency operation in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, according to police reports on Tuesday. With this, there have been 43 Naxalites slain so far this year in battles with security personnel in the Bastar area.

 

On April 19, Bijapur, a district in Chhattisgarh devastated by the Naxals, will hold its first round of Lok Sabha elections. The district is included in the Bastar Lok Sabha constituency.

The gunfight occurred at around six in the morning inside the boundaries of the Gangaloor police station, in a wooded region between the villages of Korcholi and Lendra. Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P stated the location was the target of an anti-Naxal operation carried out by a joint team of security personnel in a statement to PTI.

According to him, the operation featured members of the CRPF, the Special Task Force (STF), the District Reserve Guard (DRG), and its elite force, the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA).

“After the exchange of fire stopped, the bodies of four Naxalites were recovered from the spot, and subsequently, six more bodies were found at the encounter site during the search,” the inspector general said.

A stockpile of weapons and ammunition, including a light machine gun (LMG), a.303 rifle, a 12-bore cannon, and many barrel grenade launchers and rounds, was also retrieved by the forces at the encounter site.

“The identity of the Naxalites was yet to be ascertained, but prima facie, it appears they belonged to PLGA (Peoples’ Liberation Guerilla Army) Company No. 2 of Maoists,” added the official.

After the incident, more personnel were sent to the scene immediately, and the IPS officer said that a search is currently underway there.

Meanwhile, a CoBRA commando from the 202nd battalion of the CRPF unintentionally detonated a pressure IED explosion close to Mudvendi hamlet, which is close to the Gangaloor police station, during the same operation against the Naxalites. According to a second police officer, the commando suffered injuries to his legs.

The official said that while the wounded soldier was not directly engaged in combat, he was a member of a squad that was participating in the operation.

It is important to remember that Naxalites usually step up their actions from March to June every year during the Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC). In the Bastar area, there have been many assaults on security troops throughout this period.

Six Naxalites were reportedly slain in an altercation with police troops in the Basaguda neighborhood of Bijapur earlier on March 27.

According to authorities, the new conflict brings the total number of Naxalites slain this year in various confrontations with security personnel in the Bastar area, which encompasses seven districts including Bijapur, to 43.