RAIPUR: Two personnel of District Reserve Guard (DRG) were injured in an encounter with the Maoists at Gangalur forest area in strife-torn Bijapur district, about 420 km south of Raipur, on Tuesday, the Bastar police said.
"Acting on specific intelligence inputs about the presence of cadres of the banned outfit near the Gangalur area of Bijapur, a team of DRG left for a search operation on Monday," said a senior police officer.
"Two jawans sustained injuries in the gunfight today and, after preliminary treatment, will be air-lifted to Raipur for immediate medical attention. The conditions of both are stable and out of danger”, said a senior police officer.
The intermittent firing continues between the troops and the Maoists since morning. There is also a possibility that several Maoists would be injured in the ongoing operation, as further details are awaited.
In the last 18 months, as many as 425 Maoist cadres have been killed in various encounters in the Bastar Range.
Bijapur, among the seven Maoist-affected districts in Bastar division, is cited as an epicentre of Red rebels in south Chhattisgarh. Union Home minister Amit Shah has declared that the country will be Maoist-free by March 31, 2026.
In this context, the series of encounters against the left-wing extremists remains a part of the renewed strategy to free the Chhattisgarh state from the influence of the left-wing extremists.