26 Maoists killed in major encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur
Narayanpur: A fierce encounter erupted on Wednesday between security personnel and Naxalites in the dense Abujhmad forests of Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district, according to police sources.
More than 26 Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces. A `supporter' of police was killed and a police jawan was injured in the gunfight, they said. The clash has been ongoing for more than 50 hours. Several senior Naxal cadres are believed to be among the deceased. Home Minister Vijay Sharma has confirmed the operation.
The encounter took place in dense forests between Abhujmad and Indravati national park area when a joint team of District Reserve Guard (DRG) of police from four districts was out on anti-Naxal operation, said deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma. "More than 26 Naxalites, some of them probably top cadres, were killed. One supporter of the police was killed and a police jawan was injured in the action," said Sharma, who holds the home portfolio. Combing operations are still underway, he added.
A senior police official confirmed that the area has been surrounded by security personnel and that the focus of the operation is the capture or elimination of top Naxal leadership believed to be hiding in the region.
The large-scale offensive is being viewed as a major step in the ongoing crackdown against Naxal activities in southern Chhattisgarh. The operation began early Wednesday morning, involving DRG forces drawn from three Naxal-affected districts.
Earlier, security forces conducted 'Operation Black Forest' to break the backbone of Naxals near Karreguttalu Hill (KGH) at the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border.
The 21-day-long operation carried out by the joint forces of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and state police between April 21 and May 11 neutralised 31 Naxals carrying a bounty of Rs 1.72 crore.
A total of 214 Naxal hideouts and bunkers have been destroyed in the operation and a total of 450 IEDs, 818 BGL shells, 899 bundles of Codex, detonators and a huge amount of explosive material have been recovered during the searches.
In addition, nearly 12,000 kilograms of food supplies have also been recovered.
(With inputs from ANI, PTI)