Raipur: Two naxals, including a woman commander, were gunned down on Monday in separate encounters during a joint operation by security forces from Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh in dense forests in border areas, police said.
"The cadres were eliminated in a joint operation carried out by Bijapur (Chhattisgarh) and Gadchiroli (Maharashtra) police on the bordering areas of both the states notorious for Maoist activities," Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, SRP Kalluri said.
In the view of Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC) of naxals which usually starts from January during which they step up their activities, a special operation was launched by Bijapur's District Reserve Group (DRG) and 'C 60' (special operations group of Maharashtra Police), he said.
The team of DRG, numbering around 80, led by Bijapur Additional Superintendent of Police, Indira Kalyan Elesela was joined by his Gadchiroli counterpart Manjunath Singh with a 75 strength of the 'C 60' squad for the operation, the officer added.
"The strategy was to enter Bijapur National Park area, a Maoist bastion, from Maharashtra side. Our forces first went to Maharashtra side surreptitiously and then penetrated Bijapur jointly with Maharashtra forces, which Maoists could not anticipate," he said.
The first skirmish took place in the deep jungles of Sendra under Farsegarh police station limits of Bijapur in which a senior woman cadre was killed, Kalluri said. "While security forces were cordoning off a forest pocket in Sendra, a fierce encounter broke out with naxals. On finding security personnel zeroing on them, ultras fled from the spot following which body of a woman ultra was recovered from there," he said.
The deceased rebel was identified as Mangi, the LOS (Local Operation Squad) commander of the National Park area committee of Maoists, who was carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh. "Besides, an Insas rife and its five magazines were also recovered from the place," the IG said, adding that Bastar Police have recovered an Insas service rifle after a long time.
Later, when security forces were returning to Damarancha of Gadcharoli to conclude the operation, a group of armed naxals opened indiscriminate firing on them, prompting the security forces to retaliate, he said.
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