Karregutta Op Enters 16th Day, Another Female Maoist Killed
Three other Maoists, slain during the operation on April 24, were also females.
Raipur: Another female Maoist was gunned down as the biggest ever counterinsurgency operation involving 24,000 jawans in the Karregutta hills along Chhattisgarh- Telangana border entered 16th day on Tuesday.
The female Maoist’s body along with a .303 rifle was recovered at the encounter site late on Monday taking the Naxal toll in the fortnight-long counterinsurgency operation in the lush green hilly terrain to four.
Three other Maoists, slain during the operation on April 24, were also females.
Police suspected that several key Maoist leaders may have either been killed or injured in the operation.
“The inputs available suggest that several top Maoist leaders have either been killed or grievously wounded in the ongoing anti-Naxal operation”, a statement issued by the Bastar police said here on Tuesday.
The security forces could not recover bodies of all the Naxals killed in the operation due to the difficult geographical conditions, a police officer said.
According to the police, a CRPF assistant commandant Sagar Borade was injured during the operation on Sunday and he was airlifted to AIIMS, Delhi, for treatment on Monday.
His condition is stated to be stable now.
Besides, two jawans of special task force (STF) were injured in the improvised explosive device (IED) explosion on Sunday.
As many as seven jawans have so far been injured in the IED blasts during the operation.
The anti-Naxal operation, code named Mission Sankalp, was launched in the Karregutta hills on April 21 to free an 800 sq km area, considered a Naxal stronghold, of Maoist influence.
“It is a decisive operation”, Bastar range inspector general of police P Sunderraj said.
Despite the hostile terrain and geographical conditions, security forces are carrying out the anti-Naxal operation with full commitment and determination, he said.
Hundreds of bunkers and Naxal hideouts have been destroyed during the operation.
Besides, thousands of kgs of explosives and detonators have been recovered in the Maoist hideouts and bunkers, a police officer said.
The interstate Karregutta hills have been used as safe haven by the senior Maoist leaders for the last several decades, police said.
Sources said security forces have started establishing camps along the region while advancing towards the Karregutta hills.
The joint anti-Naxal operation comprises the jawans from the district reserve guard (DRG), Bastar Fighters, STF, CRPF and Combat Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA).