The security forces on Tuesday neutralised five Naxalites in an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district, police said. The joint team of different security forces in the hilly forests under Kohkameta police station area in Abujhmad was out on an anti-Naxalite operation, a senior police official said. He further added that the search operation was underway.
"Five Naxalites have been killed in the action so far. The search operation is still underway in the area and further details are awaited," he said, adding that security personnel were reported to be safe. The operation involved the personnel of the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF), Border Security Force (BSF) and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) from different districts. The operation was launched on Sunday, police said.
139 Naxalites killed in state this year
Apparently, with the latest encounter, 139 Naxalites have been killed so far in separate encounters with security forces this year. While 136 Naxalites were gunned down in the Bastar division, which includes seven districts, two others were killed in Raipur division’s Dhamtari district. It is worth mentioning here, the latest encounter district Narayanpur also comes in Bastar division.
In an earlier incident on June 15, eight Naxalites were killed in an encounter in Narayanpur district. However, a jawan of the Special Task Force (STF) also lost his life in a gunfire exchange. a jawan. Before that, six Naxalites were gunned down in an encounter in Narayanpur on June 5 and seven Naxals were killed on the Narayanpur-Bijapur border on May 23.
In Bijapur, at least 12 Naxalites were neutralised in an encounter on May 10. Moreover, 10 cadres, including three women, lost their lives in an encounter along the border of Narayanpur and Kanker districts on April 30. The officials said that 29 Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces in Kanker district on April 16.
(With PTI inputs)
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