Naxalite killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district

Dantewada: A Naxalite was killed in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh's Bastar division on Monday, a police official said.

The gun battle took place in a forest along the border of Dantewada-Bijapur districts when joint teams of various security forces were out on an anti-Naxal operation, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Gaurav Rai said.

The operation was launched on Sunday based on inputs about the presence of armed Naxalites along the inter-district border, located around 450 km from state capital Raipur.

Various teams comprising personnel from the District Reserve Guard and Bastar Fighters from Dantewada, Bijapur and Sukma, Special Task Force (STF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and its elite Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) were involved in the operation, the official said.

The exchange of fire broke out in the forest near Purangel (Dantewada) and Pidia (Bijapur), when one of the patrolling teams was cordoning off the area, he said.

After the guns fell silent, the body of a Naxalite was recovered from the spot, he said, adding the deceased was yet to be identified.

Search was underway in nearby areas, the police said.