15 Maoists erased from leftist list in Chhattisgarh on Monday

Raipur, Aug 6: In a major encounter the brave soldiers of Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) gunned down as many as 15 Maoists and arrested two others in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh.

As the encounter ended on Monday morning, bodies of 15 Maoists and 16 weapons including 315 bore and 12 bore guns were recovered from the spot, the police said.

The encounter started on Sunday night after the two teams of security forces were dispatched to the forest following intelligence input about the presence of Maoists in camps in south Sukma.

This encounter is seen as one of the biggest anti-Maoist operation in Chhattisgarh’s Naxal-infested areas of Sukma district.

PTI quoted Special Director General of Police (SDGP) (anti-Naxal operations) D M Awasthi as saying: “This was one of the biggest anti-Naxal operations in the history of Chhattisgarh, where 15 bodies of rebels were recovered in a single incident.”

The two teams included soldiers of District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF), CRPF and CoBRA.

“One of the patrolling teams, comprising around 200 personnel of the STF and the DRG, spotted a Maoist camp this morning at the forest in Nalkatong village, located around 500 km from here, following which it started encircling the place,” Awasthi said.

“A gun battle took place between Naxals and the patrolling team for about half-an-hour,” he added.

After the encounter on Monday morning bodies of 15 Maoists and 16 weapons were recovered from the spot, the SDGP said.

“Militia platoon commander Vanjam Hunga was among the killed naxals,” Awasthi said, adding that the identities of the remaining 14 cadres were yet to be ascertained.

Two Naxals, an area committee member and a woman who was injured in the gunfight, were arrested from the site.

Police said the killed rebels belonged to three separate militia formations of Maoists active in the tri-junction forest of Konta, Golapalli and Bhejji areas in south Sukma.

“Another patrolling team that had launched the operation from Bhejji area was still inside the forest and conducting its task. Intensive search operations were underway in the nearby forest areas,” the SDGP said.

In July, eight suspected Maoists, including four women, were killed in an encounter in Bijapur district of the state. Two INSAS rifles were among the weapons recovered from the site.

Earlier in July woman Maoist Zarina who carried a prize of Rs 5 lakh on her head was killed in an operation jointly conducted by ITBP and Chhattisgarh Police in the jungles of Rajnandgaon. The cops had recovered two guns and ammunition in large quantity.