Chhattisgarh: 5 Naxalites Killed in Kanker Encounter; Bodies Recovered

Security forces recovered bodies of five Naxalites and cache of firearms from the site after the encounter. A search operation is underway in the area.

Kanker: At least five Naxalites were killed, and two security personnel were injured in an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district on Saturday morning.

The gunfight occurred at around 8 am along the border of Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh during an anti-insurgency operation by a joint team of security forces.

Personnel from the Border Security Force (BSF), District Reserve Guard (DRG), and Special Task Force (STF) were involved in the operation aimed at countering Naxalite activities in the region.

Following the exchange of gunfire, the bodies of five Naxalites and a large cache of firearms were recovered from the site. A search operation is currently underway in the area. The two security personnel injured in the clash have been airlifted to Raipur for medical treatment, and both are said to be out of danger.

"In this encounter, the force has killed five uniformed Maoists including two women. Many weapons including INSAS, SLR have been recovered from the spot. Intermittent encounters are going on in the area. The force's search operation is also going on,' said Sundarraj P, Bastar IG. He said that a total of 197 Naxalites have been killed so far in the year 2024.

Superintendent of Police Indira Kalyan Elesela has also confirmed the encounter. "A large quantity of weapons have also been recovered from the possession of Naxalites. Two soldiers have been injured in the encounter, whose condition is normal. Both are out of danger," the SP said.

This operation is part of a broader effort to combat Naxalite insurgency in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region, which has witnessed several encounters this year. With this latest incident, the number of Naxalites killed in the state's Bastar region in 2024 has reached 197.

Among the major operations earlier this year was the October 4 encounter in the Abujhmad forest, where 38 Naxalites were killed.

The ongoing operations are a crucial part of the state's efforts to neutralise Naxalite groups that have been active in the region for decades. Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely as operations to root out insurgent forces intensify across the region.

38 Naxalites killed in October: Earlier on 4 October, Chhattisgarh's biggest Naxal operation took place in the Abujhmad forest. 31 Naxalites were killed in the anti-Naxal operation. On Friday, an encounter took place between the police and Naxalites at Mohla Manpur Ambagarh Chowki adjacent to Rajnandgaon.

Major encounters between the police and Naxalites in 2024

1. 3 September: 9 Maoists were killed in an encounter in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh. The joint team of District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were involved in this.
2. 2 July: Five Maoists were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Narayanpur district of Bastar.
3. 15 June: 8 Maoists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Abujhmad.
4. 7 June: 6 Maoists killed in an encounter in Narayanpur
5. 23 May: 8 Naxalites were killed in an encounter on Narayanpur, Dantewada and Bijapur border.
6. 10 May: 12 Naxalites were killed in an encounter in the forest of Pidia in Bijapur.
7. 30 April: 9 Naxalites were killed in an encounter on the Narayanpur and Kanker border.
8. 16 April: A team of BSF and Chhattisgarh Police killed 29 Naxalites in Kanker.
9. 2 April: 13 Maoists were killed in an encounter in Bijapur.
10. 27 March: 6 Naxalites were killed in Basaguda, Bijapur.
11. 27 February: 4 Maoists were killed by soldiers in an encounter in Bijapur.
12. 3 February: 2 Maoists were killed in Orchha police station area of ​​Narayanpur

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