RAIPUR: Two personnel of the Chhattisgarh police were killed and six others seriously injured in a fierce gunfight with the outlawed CPI (Maoist) at Bhejji in strife-torn Sukma district, south Chhattisgarh on Sunday. A supervisor (munshi) hired by the contractor of road construction work was shot dead by the Naxals, the police said.
The slain jawan Madkam Handa and Mukesh Kadth were from Sukma, one of the worst-hit districts by Maoist violence in the conflict zone of Bastar.
“There were two major encounters at Sukma. We lost two jawans of the district reserve guards (DRG) at Bhejji. The security forces killed one Maoist in another exchange of fire at Errabore. The body of the rebel identified as Bhamiya Gad has been recovered”, the deputy inspector general of police (south Bastar zone) P Sunderraj told the The New Indian Express. Bhejji and Errabore are around 450 km south of Raipur.
Six critically injured, including four special task force (STF) troopers, were airlifted to Raipur for immediate medical attention.
On Saturday, an intelligence input regarding the heavy movement of Maoists and the possible rebel attack was sent to the Chhattisgarh police. Based on the tip-off, a joint team of STF and DRG left on the searching operation in the remote forested terrain of Bhejji where the naxalites opened fire on them. The forces retaliated the attack and in the ensued fierce encounter that continued for nearly five hours two jawans were killed on the spot.
Not far from the encounter site the forces were also deployed at the road construction site along the Chintagufa route. The rebels also targeted them that exposed the level of preparedness of the forces inspite of the shared intelligence information. The armed Maoists after setting ablaze around a dozen vehicles engaged in road construction works abducted two drivers and some laborers.
The state police remain clueless about their whereabouts though the reinforcement was sent to the site to assist the forces and carry out the cordon and search operation in the region.
“The Naxalites according to the available information too had suffered heavy losses. Details are awaited”, the Special DG (anti-Maoist operation) D M Awasthi said.
On Friday last, the forces shot dead two Maoists including a woman in a gun-battle at Tokanpalli in the same district.
In Chhattisgarh, the left-wing extremist have their presence in 16 of the 27 districts.