Naxal fighter killed in encounter with security forces

One Naxal was neutralised following an encounter with the District Reserve Guard (DRG) force near Peddapal-Pidiya forest of Bijapur district on Monday morning. The body of the unidentified Naxal was recovered from the forest area post the encounter and weapons along with daily-use materials were seized from the site.

Bijapur (Chhattisgarh):A Naxal fighter was killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Bijapur district on Monday, police said.

The gun-battle took place around 9.30 am in a forest between Pedapal and Pidiya villages under Gangaloor police station limits when joint teams of various security forces were out on an anti-Naxal operation, Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P said.

Acting on inputs about the movement of ultras, squads of personnel from the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force, Central Reserve Police Force and its elite unit Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) from Dantewada and Bijapur districts launched the operation along with the inter-district border on Saturday, he said.
On Monday, when one of the patrolling teams of DRG was cordoning off a forest area near Pedapal and Pidiya villages, located over 450 km from the state capital Raipur, an exchange of fire broke out between the two sides, he said.

After guns fell silent, the body of a Naxal was recovered from the spot, the official said, adding that search was still underway in the area.

Three more encounters took place between security forces and ultras in the area during this operation in the last two days. No casualty was reported in those skirmishes, he said.

(With inputs from agency)