Gadchiroli:About twenty-six Naxals were killed in an encounter with the C-60 unit of Maharashtra Police in Dhanora taluk in Gadchiroli district, part of Maharashtra-Chattisgarh border, on Saturday. As per sources, a prominent leader of the Naxal movement was also killed in the encounter and the identity of slain Naxals are yet to be ascertained.
"We have recovered the bodies of 26 naxals so far from the forest," said district Superintendent of Police Ankit Goyal. The gunbattle took place in the morning at Korchi in Mardintola forest area when a C-60 police commando team was conducting a search operation led by additional SP Soumya Munde, Goyal said, as quoted by PTI.
As per sources, the police were attacked during a search operation based on a tip-off that a large number of Naxalites had entered these villages. PTI quoted officials as saying that four police personnel were gravely injured in the attack and were taken to Nagpur in a helicopter for treatment. Ten C-60 parties were involved in the heavy firing exchanged between both sides. So far 26 bodies of Naxalites have been found and search operation is underway.
Also read:Security forces recover firearms, IED components in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon
It should be noted that Naxalite and Maoist killings have been recurrent over the years in Gadchiroli. On May 21, police gunned down 13 Naxals, including seven women, at Kotmi forest in Etapalli tehsil of Gadchiroli district. On April 28, two Naxalites were killed in an encounter with Gadchiroli police in the Gatta-Jambia forest in Etapalli.
28.03.21: Gadchiroli police killed five Maoists, including a top-ranked operative, in an operation. The operation was launched in Khobramendha area of Kurkheda tehsil, in north Gadchiroli. A huge cache of arms and ammunition were seized from them during the operation at Kurkheda tehsil of Gadchiroli. The operation was led by the C-60 commandos.
18.10.2020:The Anti-Naxal Squad (ANS) commandos killed five cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), including three women cadres, in the Kosmi-Kisneli forests under Dhanora Taluka (revenue sub-division)in Gadchiroli district.