Woman Naxalite carrying Rs 8 lakh reward gunned down by security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker

Kanker: A woman Naxalite with a bounty of Rs 8 lakh was killed in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district on Friday morning, a police official said.

The gunfight broke out on a forested hill under Chhotebethiya police station limits when a joint team of District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Border Security Force (BSF) was out on an anti-Naxal operation, Kanker Superintendent of Police Indira Kalyan Elesela told PTI.

The operation was launched between Amatola and Kalpar villages based on inputs about the presence of ultras of the banned Maoist movement on the other side of the Kotri river, he said.

The body of a woman Naxalite clad in 'uniform' along with one .303 rifle, seven round of ammunition, one indigenous BGL (barrel grenade launcher), one walkie-talkie set, two mobile chargers and batteries, Maoist literature and documents, medicines and a large quantity of daily utility items were recovered from the spot, he said.

"Preliminary identification suggests the deceased Naxal cadre is Shanti alias Deve, a native of Gundem in Bijapur district. Shanti was earlier active in Gobra Area Committee of the Maoists in Gariaband district. Later she became active in North Bastar Division and was associated with People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) company numbers 5 and 7," he said.

She carried a reward of Rs 8 lakh, the official said, adding that a search operation was underway in the nearby jungles to locate and apprehend other Maoist cadres who might have fled from the spot during the exchange of fire.

With the latest action, 212 Naxalites have been killed in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh so far this year.

Of them, 195 were eliminated in the Bastar division, which includes districts of Bijapur, Bastar, Kanker, Konadagaon, Narayanpur, Sukma, and Dantewada.

Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P warned cadres of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) to shun violence and join the mainstream or else face the consequences.

"The roots of Maoist violence are steadily weakening in the Dandakaranya region, which covers parts of Bastar region in south Chhattisgarh. The security forces have been working with full commitment and courage to restore peace and ensure public safety in the region," he said.

"Establishing a fear-free environment in the region is our top priority. The government's surrender and rehabilitation policy remains open for any Maoist cadre willing to renounce violence and join the mainstream," the IG asserted.