Three alleged Naxalites were killed in an anti-Naxal operation carried out by the security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur on Thursday morning.
While the searches were on till late evening, the police confirmed that the three deceased were all women.
According to Superintendent of Police (Narayanpur) Prabhat Kumar the operation was carried by a joint team of DRG, STF and BSF 135th Battalion from Narayanpur and Kondagaon districts who had received inputs about the presence of Naxalites in the border areas of Narayanpur and Kanker, village Hachekoti, Chhindpur, Binagunda, Aadanar, Kaknar, and surrounding forest hills.
When the team reached the encounter site, there was an exchange of fire that began around 8 a.m.
Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P. said after the firing stopped in the afternoon and searches were carried out around the encounter site, bodies of three uniformed female Maoists and .303 rifles, 315 bore guns, a large amount of explosive material, and items of daily use of Naxalites have been recovered so far.
“Initially, all the killed Maoist cadres have been identified as members of North Bastar Division Committee and PLGA Company No. 05. Detailed identification proceedings are being carried out,” Mr. Sundarraj said. Around 1.45 p.m., the police confirmed the three deaths and later in the evening issued another bulletin stating that in view of the possibility of many other Maoists being killed/injured during the encounter, additional reinforcement teams were searching the area around the encounter site.
The IG added that this year, the total number of Maoists killed so far has been 143. This number exceeds the cumulative tally of casualties inflicted by the forces in the last three years put together. The tally stands at 141. Monsoons are usually a period when the encounters slow down. However, this year, a total of 26 bodies of Naxalites have been recovered, 212 have been arrested, and 201 Naxalites have surrendered, according to Mr. Sundarraj.