Bijapur: In another success for security forces in their ongoing campaign against red terror, a Maoist cadre was killed following an exchange of fire between the security team and Naxals in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on August 6, police said.
According to preliminary reports, the gunfight broke in the early hours of Wednesday under Gangloor police station limits of the district, resulting in neutralisation of an armed Maoist cadre.
The operation was launched upon receiving intel about presence of Maoist in the Western Division area of the district. The body of the killed Maoist was recovered from the spot along with arms and ammunition, confirmed senior officials of the police.
Intermittent firing on the site of encounter is reported to be continuing and more details about the operation are awaited.
9 Maoists surrender in Bijapur
In a related development, as many as 9 Maoists carrying a cumulative bounty of Rs 24 lakhs surrender before police in Bijapur, said officials. Those who joined the mainstream includes of 3 area committee members and a member of the technical team of South Bastar Division of the outlawed CPI [Maoist].
“Those who surrendered before the police were all inspired by the state’s rehabilitation policy and Niyad Nelanar scheme. Anti- Maoist campaign is continuing with joint participation of police, District Reserve Guard [DRG], Special Task Force [STF], Central Reserve Police Force [CRPF] and CoBRA,” informed an official.
Notorious Maoist operative Martin Kerketta killed in Jharkhand
Meanwhile police in Jharkhand gunned down a top Maoist operative in an encounter in Gumla district on August 5. The gunfight took place in Changberi area under the Kamrada police station limits leading to neutralisation of notorious PLFI Maoist Martin Kerketta.
Martin was said to be a key member of the proscribed Maoist outfit PLFI and carrying a bounty of Rs 15 lakh on his head.
On July 26, a joint team of security personnel had also neutralized 4 Maoists in Bijapur district along recovering sophisticated weapons from the site of the gun battle.
The operation was carried out by a joint team of DRG, CRPF and CoBRA, an elite unit of the CRPF.
This comes hours after forces gunned down 3 cadres of the Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad [JJMP], a breakaway faction of the CPI[Maoist] in a joint operation in Gumla district on
The gun battle which lasted for hours took place in the forest areas under the jurisdiction of Ghaghra police station of Gumla district. Security personnel after the operation had also seized INSAS rifles along with an AK-47 from the spot.
Among the six most Maoist-affected district listed by the Union Government, 5 comes from Chhattisgarh [Bijapur, Narayanpur, Sukma, Dantewada] and Jharkhand [West Singhbhum] along with Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli, bordering Abujhmad region of Chhattisgarh.
