Chhattisgarh: Six Naxalites killed in encounter with security forces at Bastar, three jawans injured

Bastar (Chhattisgarh) [India], June 8 (ANI): Six Naxalites were killed in an encounter that broke out with security forces at Chhattisgarh's Bastar on Friday, police said.
The encounter broke out between the police forces and the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PGLA) Military Company No. 06, they said.
Among the dead Naxalites, one People's Party Committee Member, one Deputy Commander, two party members of Company No. 06 and Area Committee Member of Bayanar Area were included.
The joint inter-district anti-Naxal operation was conducted in the Amdai Area Area Committee area of East Bastar Division.
The District Reserve Guard of Narayanpur, Kondagaon, Dantewada, Bastar districts and 45th Battalion Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Central Reserve Police Force forces were involved in the joint operation.
Two .303 rifles, one 315 bore rifle, one Barrel Grenade Launcher launcher, three 12 bore rifles along with a large quantity of explosives and other Naxal daily useful materials were recovered from the spot, police said.
A large number of other Naxalites are also likely to be either injured or killed in the encounter, they added.
Speaking about the encounter, police said that on June 6, a joint force was dispatched on the intelligence of the presence of Maoist cadres of East Bastar Division and Maoist cadres of PLGA Company No. 06 in the border areas of District Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bastar and Kondagaon.
Police had received intelligence about the presence of Naxalites in villages Mungodi, Gobel, Gubum, Aderbeda, Vattekal and Chhotetondebeda area under Amdai Area Committee area of East Bastar Division.
To verify the information, in the intervening night of June 6 and June 7, nine teams of Narayanpur DRG, eight DRG teams of Dantewada, four teams of District Bastar DRG, two teams of DRG from District Kodangav and joint force of ITBP 45th Battalion, CRPF 195 Battalion left for village Mungadi, Gobel, Aderbeda, Irpanar, Vattekal area for anti-Naxal operation.
During the operation on June 7 at about 3 pm, in the forests of Bhatbeda- Battekal and Chhotetondebeda, the Naxalites opened indiscriminate fire with the intention of killing the security forces and looting their weapons.
The police party immediately took position and called for surrender, but the Naxalites ignored the call for surrender and started firing in more quantity. The police party took position on the spot for self-defence and retaliated by firing.
Following this, intermittent encounters with different teams took place throughout the day. After seeing themselves surrounded, the Naxalites saved their lives and ran away taking cover of dense forests and hills.
After the firing stopped, all the teams conducted a search in their respective task areas and recovered bodies of six uniformed Naxalites from different places of the incident spot.
Two pieces of 303 rifles, (One magazine, four rounds, 10 including charger, total 14), one piece of 315 bore rifle, one BGL launcher, three pieces of 12 bore rifles, 10 pieces of BGL cells, two pieces of 12 bore pouch, one SLR magazine, two SLR rounds, live cooker bomb weighing about 1.5 kg along with 100 meter wire, five pieces of backpack, one piece of multimeter, plastic explosives and a huge quantity of explosive material, medicines and other items of daily use used by Naxalites were recovered from near the bodies.
More blood stains were seen at the site of the incident, which indicates that a large number of other Naxalites are likely to have been injured or killed in this encounter.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Dantewada Kamalochan Kashyap and Superintendent of Police Narayanpur Prabhat Kumar informed that after this operation, there is an atmosphere of fear among the Naxalites of East Bastar Division, which is the stronghold of Company Number 6 of the Naxalites.
Also, the Naxalite leadership living in the border areas of Narayanpur, Kondagaon, Dantewada and Jagdalpur were blaming the villagers and their lower cadres after this operation. This is the biggest blow till date on Company Number 06, Bayanar Area Committee, Amdai Area Committee, which were the pillars of the Naxalite attacking force in East Bastar Division.
Superintendent of Police Bastar Shallabh Sinha and Superintendent of Police Dantewada Gaurav Rai informed that the main objective of the police is to save the natives living in inaccessible forests and difficult geographical conditions from the Naxalite ideology and to get them out of the attraction of extremist principles, so that development and peace can be established in the area.
Sharing the names and posts of the Naxalites killed, police said that Masiya alias Masiya Mandavi (32), Ramesh Korram alias Bonja (29), Sunny alias Sundari, Sajanti Poyam, Jailal Salam alias Seta, Janani alias Janni were killed in the incident.
During the said encounter, the DRG jawans of District-Narayanpur have been injured. They are being airlifted to Raipur for proper treatment, police said adding that currently the condition of the injured jawans is stable.
The injured jawans included ASI Kachru Ram Korram (45), Constable Mangalu Ram Kumeti (47) and Constable Bharat Singh Dharal (23).
Inspector General of Police Bastar Range Sundarraj P informed that in the year 2024, a total of 71 encounters have taken place in the Bastar division and bodies of 123 Maoists and 136 weapons have been recovered.
Similarly in 2024, a total of 399 Maoists have surrendered before the government to join the mainstream of society, he said.
In the press conference organized at Triveni premises regarding the encounter between the Naxalites of East Bastar Division, Inspector General of Police Bastar Range Sundarraj P, Deputy Inspector General of Police Dantewada Kamalochan Kashyap, Superintendent of Police Bastar Shallabh Sinha, Superintendent of Police Narayanpur Prabaht Kumar, Superintendent of Police Dantewada Gaurav Rai, senior officers of ITBP and CRPF were present. (ANI)