Bastar: Two female commandos, Sunaina Patel and Reshma Kashyap, who formed the nucleus of Danteshwari Fighters, an all-women anti-naxal strike force deployed in Bastar and Dantewada, Maoist-infested hinterlands of Chhattisgarh; have been given out-of-turn promotion.
Sunaina Patel and Reshma Kashyap's heroics have been the talk in counter-insurgency circles after they gunned down two hardcore Maoists in a fierce gun battle in 2021.
Two women laced with sophisticated weapons entered the Maoist den deep inside the jungle and gunned down the dreaded Naxalite commander Hunga Vatti and another hardcore Naxalite commander. In recognition of their feat, these two women commandos were given out-of-turn promotions for the first time in the country.
They were part of fierce and frequent anti-Maoist operations In Naxal-infested Dantewada district. The then SP Abhishek Pallav had formed District Reserve Group, a wing of commandoes to take on Maoists in 2019. A team of DRG comprised of 30 women was launched. Then, women commandos were included in the District Reserve Guard for the first time. The team was led by Dineshwari Nandi, Deputy Superintendent of Police.
In 2021, acting on inputs that Naxalite commander Hunga Vatti was actively manouevring attack on security forces, Danteshwari fighters scouted for the dreaded Maoist leader in the hilly and remote interiors. An encounter ensured, Sunaina Patel along with other DRG commandoes fought fiercely against the Naxalites and killed Hunga Vatti. Several other Naxalites were also killed in the encounter. Bodies of many Naxalites were recovered from the incident site along with a large quantity of explosives and weapons.
Read More
