Representative image.
A Naxal was gunned down in an encounter with Special Task Force (STF) in Chhattigsarh's Bijapur district on Sunday morning. The exchange of fire took place at a forest in Bedre area when a team of the STF was out on anti-Naxal operation, a senior police official told PTI.
As per the ground report, a body of a Naxal clad in 'uniform' and a rifle were recovered from the spot, located around 450 km from here, he said.
As per news agency ANI, another Maoist has been apprehended. The arms and ammunitin have been recovered.
Further details are awaited as the search operation was still underway, he added.
The latest encounter comes just a day ahead of the first phase of assembly elections in the state.
Meanwhile, one BSF ASI was killed in an IED blast in Kanker's Koyali Beda. According to news agency ANI, BSF personnel SI Mahender Singh who was injured in IED blast earlier in the day, succumbed to his injuries.
The explosion took place in a forest when a BSF team was out on an area domination operation in view of the polls on Monday, Inspector General of Police (Raipur range) Dipanshu Kabra told PTI.
When the patrolling team was in the forest between Kattakal and Gome villages, around 200 km away from the state capital Raipur, the ultras blew up the IED, he said.
Reinforcement was rushed to the spot, he said, adding that a search operation was still underway in the region.
This is the fourth IED blast triggered by Naxals in Chhattisgarh in the last 15 days.
Security has been heightened in seven districts of Bastar division and Rajnandgaon district which go to polls in the first phase on Monday.
Around one lakh security personnel have been deployed to ensure smooth conduct of elections.
Naxalites have asked voters to boycott the polls.
The 90-member Chhattisgarh Assembly will go to polls in two phases -- on November 12 and 20 -- and the results will be announced on December 11.
The first phase of polls will cover 18 constituencies of eight Naxal-affected districts that include Bastar, Kanker, Sukma, Bijapur, Dantewada, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Rajnandgaon.
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