A CRPF personnel was shot dead and a dozen Maoists possibly killed during an encounter in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district, police said on Monday.
The security forces-- a combined team of CRPF and state police-- also recovered claymore mines, ammonium nitrate and other items after the almost 24-hour gunbattle in Bandgaon which ended last night. Himmat Singh, a commando of the 203 battalion of the Special Action Force (SAF) of the CRPF, was killed while six CRPF personnel injured in the encounter, a senior CRPF officer said. "About a dozen Maoists were hit by the security forces and there is all possibility that they might have been killed," West Singhbhum Superintendent of Police Akhilesh Jha said.
However, bodies of the Naxals are yet to be recovered, Jha said. Villagers in the district have also indicated that some Maoists were killed in the operation, the CRPF officer said. The recovery from the hideout includes 20 claymore mines, 60 bags of ammonium nitrate, three containers of liquid explosive, one electric metal cutter, three solar panel plates and 300 kgs of rice and fish, the CRPF officer said. All the injured security personnel were admitted to a hospital in Ranchi.
Self-styled Maoist area commander 'KP' and his comrades Anmol and Animesh were among the Maoists, who fired around 5000 rounds during the encounter, the SP said. PTI
