14 Naxalites Killed In Two Encounters In Chhattisgarh’s Bastar Region

At least 14 Maoists were killed in two separate encounters with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region on Saturday, police officials said, according to PTI.

Twelve Naxalites were shot dead in Sukma district, while two others were killed in a parallel operation in the neighbouring Bijapur district in the early hours of the day, PTI reported, citing the police.

Personnel of the District Reserve Guard (DRG), a specialised unit of the state police, were involved in both operations, which were launched following specific intelligence inputs about the presence of Maoist cadres in the area, a senior police official said, according to PTI.

An exchange of fire began around 8 am in a forested area in the southern part of Sukma district, the official said. “The bodies of 12 cadres have been recovered so far. The operation is still underway,” he added.

In Bijapur, a separate gunfight broke out around 5 am in a forest in the southern region of the district during another anti-Maoist operation, the official said. The bodies of two Naxalites were recovered from the site, while intermittent firing was continuing, he added.

The police said a cache of arms, including AK-47 rifles, INSAS rifles and self-loading rifles, was recovered from the encounter sites.

Further details would be shared once the operations concluded, the official said.

According to the police, the Konta area committee of the Maoists was almost wiped out in the Sukma encounter.

As many as 285 Naxalites were killed in separate encounters with security forces across Chhattisgarh last year, PTI reported.

(With inputs from PTI)