12 Maoists, 3 DRG Jawans Killed in Bijapur Encounter

Bijapur encounter: Twelve Maoists and three personnel of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) were killed in a fierce encounter in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Wednesday, officials said. Two other jawans of DRG, a specialised unit of the state police, suffered injuries in the gunfight, they said, adding the anti-Naxal operation was still underway in the district, PTI reported.

The gun battle broke out in a forest along the border of Bijapur-Dantewada districts when a joint team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxal operation, Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj Pattilingam said. Personnel belonging to the DRG from Dantewada and Bijapur, and Special Task Force, both units of the state police, and CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action- an elite unit of CRPF) were involved in the operation, he said.

So far, bodies of 12 Naxalites have been recovered from the encounter spot, but their identities have yet to be established, the senior IPS officer stated. Besides, Single Loading Rifles (SLRs), Insas rifles .303 rifles and other arms and ammunition were recovered from the site, he said. "Head Constable Monu Vadadi, Constable Dukaru Gonde and jawan Ramesh Sodhi, belonging to the DRG Bijapur, were martyred in the encounter, while two other DRG personnel sustained injuries," Pattilingam said.