At least eight Naxalites were killed in an ongoing encounter that began on Thursday between the Naxals and security personnel in a forest along the Narayanpur-Bijapur inter-district border in Chhattisgarh.
Around eight weapons, including arms and ammunition, were recovered from them. The gunfight, which started on May 21, occurred in the morning when a team of Special Task Force (STF) was returning after an anti-Naxal operation, said SP Dantewada Gaurav Rai, as quoted by ANI.
“After Thursday's encounter, security personnel were returning to their base when Naxalites fired on a patrolling team of the STF, leading to a gunbattle between the two sides on Friday morning," the police official said.
"After the firing stopped, the body of a Naxalite in 'uniform' was recovered from the spot," the official added, "further details are awaited."
Following the encounter, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai had earlier appreciated security forces and asserted that his government had been strongly fighting against Naxalism.
"7 Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces in the border area of Narayanpur-Bijapur district. Certainly security forces have achieved great success. I salute their courage. Our government has been fighting strongly against Naxalism. Our aim is to eliminate Naxalism from the state, Sai had written on his 'X' handle.
With the latest incident, 113 Naxalites have been killed so far this year in separate encounters with security forces in the state.
Ten Naxalites, including three women, were killed in an encounter with security personnel in a forest along the border of Narayanpur and Kanker districts on April 30.
On April 16, security forces had gunned down 29 Naxalites during an exchange of fire in Kanker district, according to police.
On May 10, police said, 12 Naxalites were eliminated in a gunbattle near Pidia village in Bijapur district. However, local villagers and activists alleged that those killed near Pidia were not Naxalites and the encounter was a staged one.
