Two suspected Maoists were killed in a gunfight with the security forces in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh, on Wednesday morning, PTI reported quoting the police. The exchange of fire took place between the suspects and a joint team of the District Reserve Guard and Special Task Force in Gonderas jungle around 5 am.
However, Deputy Inspector General (Anti-Naxal operations) Sundarraj P issued a clarification that only the body of one female Maoist was recovered in Dantewada. “A few more Naxals might have been hit, but we couldn’t recover their bodies,” Sundarraj told ANI.
Dantewada Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pallava told ANI that one INSAS rifle and one 12 Bore weapon with ammunition were among the incriminating material recovered from the site.
There were no reports of casualties from the joint team of security forces. A search operation is still under way, reported India Today. More details are awaited.
Pallava said 30 women commandos of the District Reserve Guard took part in the encounter. These include suspected Maoists who have surrendered and wives of surrendered cadres.
On April 9, Dantewada MLA Bheema Mandavi was among five people killed in a suspected Maoist attack on his convoy after he was returning from election campaigning. The attack took place two days before voting in the Bastar Lok Sabha constituency, in which Dantewada is located.
On May 1, fifteen security personnel and a driver were killed after suspected Maoists attacked a police vehicle in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra.
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