An intermittent gunbattle between the security forces and Maoists in the densely forested area of the Indravati National Park began on Friday evening
Raipur: A Maoist was gunned down on Saturday in an ongoing encounter between security forces and the rebels in a forest within the Indravati National Park in Bijapur district, located in south Bastar, Chhattisgarh, police said.
An intermittent gunbattle between the security forces and Maoists in the densely forested area of the Indravati National Park began on Friday evening and is still continuing, a senior police officer in Bastar told this newspaper.
"The body of a male Naxal, along with a weapon, has been recovered from the encounter site so far. The search operation in the area by the security forces is underway," the police officer said.
Details of the operation could not be shared at this juncture, keeping in view the safety of the security personnel still engaged in the gunfight with the ultras, the officer added.
Acting on specific intelligence inputs about the presence of senior Maoist cadres at a particular site in the Indravati National Park, a search operation was launched by the security forces on Friday.
The forces came under attack by the Maoists on Friday evening, leading to an encounter.
The exchange of fire has been ongoing for the last 24 hours, the officer said.
The Maoists have turned the Indravati National Park into a red corridor to facilitate their movement from Gadchiroli in Maharashtra to Mulugu in Telangana via Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh.
A large part of the national park is considered a Naxal stronghold.
The tiger census has been stalled in the wildlife sanctuary for several years due to the Maoist threat.
Indravati National Park is one of the four Project Tiger sites in Chhattisgarh and is believed to house 10–12 tigers.
The national park area committee of the Maoists operates in the region to hold the fort for the Reds.
