In a significant development, at least two Naxalites were killed in an encounter that broke out in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district. According to the information released, the incident occurred around 11 a.m. when a joint team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxalite operation today.
A senior official speaking of the details of the incident said the gunfire that erupted between security forces and the Naxalites today around 11 a.m. in a forest on the tri-junction of the Usoor-Basaguda-Pamed area has been stopped, and the bodies of two Naxalites were recovered along with a self-loading rifle (SLR), barrel grenade launcher shells, and locally made weapons.
"A search operation was underway in the area," the official added.
19 Naxalites arrested by a joint team of security forces in separate operations
Moreover, it is pertinent to note that the present encounter comes days after as many as 19 Naxalites, three of them carrying bounties, were arrested by the security forces in separate operations in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh. According to the information released, joint teams of the District Reserve Guard (DRG), 219th and 150th battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force, and the 201st battalion of CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action—aan elite unit of the CRPF) were involved in the operations.
The officials stated that while 14 Naxalites were apprehended in the Jagargunda police station area, five were detained within the Bhejji police station limits on Sunday. Security forces also seized three gelatin rods, 300 gm of gunpowder, cordex wire, detonators, electric wire, and batteries from the 14 cadres.
