Palamu: A fierce encounter broke out between the banned Naxalite 'Basangathan Third Conference Presentation Committee' and the police in Palamu district of Jharkhand on Thursday, an official said.
A police official said that the encounter raged in the Tarawadih forest, the border area of Chhatarpur, Manatu and Navajaypur police stations soon after the police launched a search operation in the area following intelligence inputs about the presence of Naxalites in the area, Palamu SP Rishma Rameshan said. He said that the Palamu police had received inputs that a squad of TSPC was hiding in the border area of Chhatarpur, Navajaypur and Manatu to carry out a sabotage act.
Acting on the inputs, a special team of police was rushed to the spot to launch a search operation. As the search team approached the suspect spot, the hiding Naxalites opened fire at the cops, who retaliated the fire thereby triggering an encounter, the SP said.
He said that the search team has recovered some Naxal material while a massive search operation is being conducted in the area to nab the fleeing Naxalites, who took advantage of the thick foliage. Police have cordoned off the area and intensified searches in the area.
The area where the encounter took place is believed to be the stronghold of Naxal commander Shashikant, who carries a bounty of Rs 10 lakh on his head. Shashikant and his associate Nagina have been active in this area for quite some time now.
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