Security forces on Tuesday claimed they had recovered the bodies of 15 more suspected Naxalites killed in an encounter with police commandos and Central Reserve Police Force personnel in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district on Sunday, reported PTI.
The police had claimed earlier in the day that six Maoists had died in a separate encounter that took place between the Damrancha and Rajaram Khanla areas on Monday.
A total of 37 Maoists have been gunned down in the last two days.
The police said they found the bodies on the banks of the Indravati. “We have recovered 15 more bodies this [Tuesday] morning, Sharad Shelar, the inspector-general of Maharashtra Police’s Anti-Naxal Operations unit, told The Hindu. “All these bodies have been recovered from the same area where Sunday’s encounter had taken place.”
According to Ankush Shinde, the deputy inspector general of police, Gadchiroli range, the senior-most leader of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), Ganapathy, could be among those killed, the Hindustan Times reported. “We have specific information that Ganapathy, also known as Muppala Lakshman Rao, was in the Kaswapur jungle to hold a secret meeting of rebels,” Shinde told the daily. Shinde said the bodies were yet to be identified, but he has “information that when the team attacked the meeting camp, Ganapathy was there”.
Before Sunday’s encounter, Maharashtra Director General of Police Satish Mathur had appealed to the Maoists to surrender, saying that the security forces now possessed much better equipment, The Indian Express reported.
“It is now gathered that there were about 35-40 Maoists of the Perimili Dalam, Aheri Dalam and Platoon 7 groups,” said Superintendent of Police Abhinav Deshmukh. “They were camping on an island-like place in the river when our men caught up with them.” He said there was a wedding in the village where the encounter happened, but said it was unclear if Maoists attended it.
The police said they had recovered two AK 47s, two SLR guns, one .303 rifle, five 8 mm bolt action and six 12 bore guns from the spot. Twelve of the 16 Maoists have been identified so far, The Hindu reported. “The 12 Maoists identified so far carried a combined reward of Rs 82 lakh,” the police said.
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