Chhattisgarh: 4 Maoists Gunned Down in Bijapur Encounter; Huge Cache of Weapons, Explosives Recovered, Search Operation Underway

Raipur: At least four Maoists were on Saturday gunned down in an encounter with security forces in a forest in Bijapur district under south Bastar in Chhattisgarh.

The encounter, reported in the south-western region of Bijapur, was still underway, a senior police officer said.

“So far, bodies of four Maoists along with a huge cache of weapons including INSAS and SLR rifles have been recovered at the encounter site”, Bastar range inspector general of police Sunderraj P told this newspaper.

Recovery of automatic weapons such as INSAS and SLR rifles indicates that there may be some senior cadres among the slain Maoists, a senior police officer said.

According to the police, based on intelligence inputs regarding the presence of Maoists in the south-western region of Bijapur district, a joint team of security personnel launched a search operation in the area.

“Intermittent encounters between the security forces and Maoists have been going on since the evening of Saturday. The details of the encounter cannot be shared at this juncture in the interest of the security of the forces”, the police officer said.

A detailed report will be provided separately after the completion of the operation, police said.

A senior police officer requesting anonymity said the encounter site is a Maoist stronghold and the battalion number one, the formidable military unit of Naxals, has been holding fort in the ‘red belt’.

“The encounter site is virtually on the threshold of Abujhmad, a Maoist stronghold used as a safe haven by the top Naxals”, a police officer said.

Abujhmad is a 4,000 sq km hilly and forested area extending from south Bastar in Chhattisgarh to Gadchiroli in Maharashtra.

The area is used as not only safe haven by top Naxals but as training ground of the military units of the rebels.