Chhattisgarh police have finally finished with the identification exercise of all the Maoists killed in the fierce gunfight that occurred on April 16.
Notable names among those killed are Divisional Committee (DVC) members Shankar Rao, Rita Salame, Vinod Gawde, Sukhlal Padda, Rajita, Geeta alias Punnai, all members of the area committees, along with Ravi alias Bachnu, PPCM and the commander of the SMC squad.
According to the details available, those who were killed in the exchange of fire were carrying a whopping collective bounty of Rs 1 crore 78 lakhs rupees, on their heads. Further, it has been learned that a reward of Rs 7 lakh 55 thousand was already announced on the weapons carried by those who were neutralised in the gunfight.
As many as 17 cadres of the banned Communist Party of India Maoist (CPI Maoist) killed in the action were those who were carrying a bounty of Rs 8 lakh each on their heads, while one of the cadres, identified as Ravi alias Bachnu Madavi, a resident of Gangloor police station limits of Bijapur district, was carrying a reward of Rs 10 lakhs.
Among those killed was Shankar Rao, a DVC member and mass in-charge of North Bastar Division of the Outlawed CPI Maoists. Rao, a resident of Challagaria village under the Chityaal Mandal police station limits of Jayshankar Bhuapalpalli district, reportedly joined the banned outfit at a tender age and rose to the ranks of DVC member.
Rao was the only one who was carrying an AK-47 among those who were killed in the exchange of fire on the afternoon of April 16. Other than Rao, two other Maoists, identified as Rita Salame and Vinod Gawde, were carrying an Insas rifle and a SLR respectively.
Salame, a member of the Kotari Area Committee and sub-commander of the RKB division, was a resident of Sitapur police station limits of Rajnandgaon district in Chhattisgarh, while Gawde, a resident of Kohka police station limits of Manpur Mohla, was active as an member of Andhi Mohla joint area committee of the outlawed CPI Maoist, moreover, Gawde was also assigned with the responsibility of sub commander of RKB division.
Further, one of the cadres identified as Badru Badse, Sub Zonal action team Commander, was also carrying a 303 rifle, while another member identified as Jenni alias Jaini was carrying a 12 bore rifle.
Binagunda-Korgutta encounter
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 the bodies of as many as 29 Maoists while also seizing a huge cache of sophisticated weaponry and ammunition.
Hailing the achievement of the security forces, Chhattisgarh’s CM, Vishnu Deo Sai, remarked that no similar feat has ever been 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 processes, 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 Kanker and Bastar Lok Sabha seats,” remarked CM Sai.
The success of the security forces was also lauded by the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, who 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.
