Woman Maoist killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh

Raipur: A woman Maoist was killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district amid the ongoing massive anti-Maoist operation in the area, a senior police official said on Tuesday.

The gunfight took place on Monday in the forest around Karregutta hills along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border, Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj P told PTI.

With this encounter, the bodies of four women Maoists have been recovered in the area since security forces launched the operation, involving some 24,000 personnel from different units, on April 21, he said.

A .303 rifle was also recovered from the encounter site on Monday, Sundarraj said.

On April 24, three women Maoists were killed on Karregutta Hills and a huge cache of weapons, explosives and other materials was recovered.

The ongoing operation, said to be one of the biggest counter-insurgency actions launched in Bastar region, involves personnel of the District Reserve Guard, Bastar Fighters and Special Task Force, all units of the Chhattisgarh police; Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and its elite unit CoBRA, among others.

The operation was launched following inputs about the presence of senior cadres of the `battalion number 1 — considered to be the strongest military formation of the Maoists — and leaders of the Telangana state committee of the Maoists in the area.

The densely forested area with a series of hills is said to be the base of Battalion no 1, according to the police.

Intelligence suggests that several senior Maoist cadres have either been killed or seriously injured during the operation, said Sundarraj.

Hundreds of Maoist hideouts and bunkers have been destroyed so far, and a huge cache of explosive materials, detonators, food stock and items of daily use have been seized, he said.

At least six security personnel belonging to STF, DRG and CoBRA were injured in separate incidents of pressure IED blasts. All of them were out of danger, Sundarraj said.

As many as 146 Maoists have been killed in separate encounters in the state so far this year. Of them, 129 were killed in the Bastar division, comprising seven districts, including Bijapur.