NEW DELHI: Three Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces in the forests along the Sukma-Bijapur border in Chhattisgarh on Thursday, Deputy chief minister Vijay Sharma confirmed.
The operation involved joint forces, including the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF), and the Central Reserve Police Force’s (CRPF) jungle warfare unit (CoBRA). Superintendent of Police of Sukma, Kiran Chavan, stated that the encounter was still underway at the time of the report.
This development follows heightened Naxalite activity in the region. Earlier today, security forces defused two Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) planted in Murdanda village under the Awapalli police station in Bijapur district.
“The IEDs, made using empty beer bottles to dodge the security forces, were prepared and planted by the Naxalites,” said the police. The joint operation was carried out by the state police and CRPF’s 229 Battalion, according to ANI.
The intensified security measures come days after an IED blast in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district claimed the lives of eight District Reserve Guards and a civilian driver on Monday.
The jawans were returning from a joint operation involving the Dantewada, Narayanpur, and Bijapur police when the blast occurred.
Security forces on Tuesday also defused a 10kg IED planted by ultras in Sukma district.
