Balaghat: Four Naxalites, including three women cadres, were killed on Wednesday in an encounter with the police in Madhya Pradesh's Balaghat district, an official said.
The anti-Naxal Hawk Force of the state police and local police teams took part in the operation that took place in a forested area, said additional superintendent of police Vijay Dabar.
Weapons were also recovered from the encounter site, police said.
Balaghat shares borders with the Gondia district of Maharashtra and the Rajnandgaon, Khairagarh and Kawardha districts of Chhattisgarh with both adjoining states facing Left-wing extremism in certain pockets.
The gunbattle broke out in the morning, at a location some 90 km away from the district headquarters, Dabar told PTI.
The spot is near Ronda Forest Camp in Supkhar Forest Range under Garhi police station area, as per an official statement.
The identity of the slain Naxalites was yet to be ascertained, officials said.
Police recovered an INSAS rifle, a Self-Loading Rifle (SLR) and a .303 rifle besides essential daily-use items from the spot.
Twelve police teams were carrying out a combing operation to track down the Naxalites who escaped into the forest, officials said.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate the police for neutralising the rebels.
"Congratulations to the Madhya Pradesh police for this achievement in the effort to eradicate Naxalism from the state," he wrote.
Yadav, who holds the home portfolio, asserted his government is working towards achieving the Centre's goal of eliminating the Left-wing extremism in the next one year.
"Under the guidance of the Honourable Prime Minister @narendramodi, the Honourable Home Minister @AmitShah is running a campaign to eliminate Naxalism from the country by 2026, and our government is also working seriously in this direction," the CM stated.
"Today, three female Naxalites have been killed in Balaghat, and weapons have been recovered from them. An encounter between the police and other Naxalites is ongoing," Yadav wrote.
