Security forces during operation in Kanker
Hours after the security forces, in a major operation launched near Binagunda, Kanker, gunned down as many as 29 Maoists, including the dreaded Maoist commander Shankar Rao, carrying a bounty of Rs 25 lakh on his head, the political leadership of the State and Centre are all praise to the remarkable success achieved by the forces.
Reacting to the development, Vishnu Deo Sai, while describing the achievement of the security forces said that no similar feat has been ever achieved by the forces who have been grappling with the Maoist challenge for years.
“Its a historic success, the largest ever achieved, and I would like to congratulate the personnel and officials, the Maoists do not believe in democratic process, and they tried to intervene in every democratic process through violent activities. Perhaps they were trying to do the same here as elections are round the corner in both Knaker and Bastar Lok Sabha seats,” said CM Sai.
“They were probably hatching a conspiracy to carry out a big attack during the elections, but the Border Security Force (BSF) and police have thwarted their plan. Our government has launched the Niyad Nellanaar (Yours good village) for the Maoist affected villages, aimed at providing basic facilities to the residents,” said CM Sai further.
“Its a big achievement from the perspective of establishing peace in Bastar; however, the government doesn’t want bloodshed and is ready for the talk with the Maoists; the government wants them to leave the path of violence and join the mainstream, as the path of guns will not lead to any amicable solution. We want peace to be prevail in Bastar as asserted by the Union Home Minister,” added Sai.
When confronted that the former CM Bhupesh Baghel has alleged that fake encounters takes place during the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) regime, the CM replied instantly that “he should not put question marks on every topic such as surgical strikes, air strikes, etc., this incident has happened in Chhattisgarh, and if he thinks its fake, then he should prove it, remarked CM Sai while asserting that his government is ever ready to engage in talks with the Maoists even via video conferencing.
Meanwhile, taking to Twitter, the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, while congratulating the security forces on the encounter, said that Naxalism (Maoism) is the biggest enemy of peace and the bright future of the youth.
“We are committed to freeing the country from the bite of left-wing extremism under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji, the offensive policy of the government and the efforts of security forces have contained the spread of Naxalism in a narrow space, very soon the State of Chhattisgarh and the whole country will be Naxal free,” tweeted Home Minister Shah.
29 Maoists were killed in action
It is to be noted that as many as 29 Maoists, including 14 female operatives of the outlawed Communist Party of India Maoist (CPI Maoist) were gunned down in a fierce encounter that occurred between the forces and the Maoists under the Chotebethiya police station limits of Kanker district on Tuesday’s afternoon, April 16.
According to the details, the encounter occurred when a joint team of District Reserve Guard (DRG) and BSF were out on a search operation under Chotebethiya PS where a heavy exchange of fire broke out between the forces and the extremists in the forest area of Binagunda-Korgutta at around 2pm.
The forces after the gunfight recovered bodies of as many as 29 Maoist alongside seizing huge cache of AK-47 rifles, INSAS/SLR/Carbine/303 rifles, light machine guns and huge quantities of arms ammunition.
According to the details, as many as three security personnel have also sustained injuries into the gunfight following which they were immediately airlifted to the State capital where they are being treated and reported to be out of danger.
DVC member Shankar Rao killed in action
The operation launched on Tuesday was based on solid intelligence of presence of top Maoist leader in the aforementioned area including Divisional Committee Member Shankar Rao, Laltita, Raju and others.
Shankar, a resident of Telangana, was considered one among the most feared Maoist in the Kanker region and was carrying a bounty of Rs 25 lakhs on his head, he was active with the outlaws for long time and was currently associated with the North Bastar Divison Committee of the banned CPI Maoist.
Body blow to the Maoist
It is worth mentioning here that the encounter marks a significant blow to the Maoists, who have already been facing the heat in the Bastar region, a long held bastion of the extremists for decades. It must be noted that the security forces in recent years have amplified their counter insurgency operations in the Maoist affected Bastar division, comprising of 7 highly affected Left Wing Extremism (LWE) districts.
Scores of security camps have been opened and addittional forces have committed as part of the union government plan to eradicate the LWE from the State within the next three years. The strengthening of the forces in the regions earlier considered as the hotbed of insurgency has led to the arrest, surrender and killings of scores of cadres in the recent years where a total of 79 Maoist have been killed so far in the current year itself.
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