Palamu: Jharkhand police on Thursday said that two Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP) naxals were injured after an encounter broke out between security forces and naxals in Salimdiri forest of Palamu district. Police said a huge cache of arms and ammunition such as AK-47, nine mm pistol, bolt rifle were recovered from the encounter site.
JJMP is a splinter CPI (Maoist) group active in parts of Jharkhand.
However, there were no reports of casualties in the gunbattle that took place between 134 battalions of CRPF personnel and Naxalites.
Acting on specific intelligence inputs, police launched a search operation in the area but naxals managed to escape. According to reports, 100 rounds were fired from both sides following which the Naxals fled.
READ: Jharkhand govt staff asked to declare they wouldn't consume tobacco
However, the police stopped firing when they noticed the presence of children at the encounter site following which naxals got a chance to escape.
SP Sanjiv Kumar said, "We received the information about the presence of JJMP chief Mahesh and Vikas in the area. A search operation was launched by senior police officials and 134 battalions of CRPF personnel. Both the sides were exchanged in the heavy firing. We stopped firing after we noticed children."
He said that a total of 15 naxals were present in the area and arms and ammunition recovered from the site has bloodstains. He said that our operations will continue in the area and naxals will be nabbed soon, adding that a girl was also seen fleeing the spot.
