Woman Naxal 'commander' with Rs 14 lakh bounty, 3 other female cadres killed in MP gunfight

Balaghat: A woman Maoist 'commander' carrying a Rs 14-lakh bounty on her head and three of her female subordinates were killed on Wednesday in an encounter with the police in Madhya Pradesh's Balaghat district, an official said.

The 'commander', Asha, hailed from adjoining Chhattisgarh and was heading a new division of rebels comprising the Kanha Tiger Reserve in Mandla, Madhya Pradesh and the Bhoramdeo Wildlife Sanctuary of Kawardha district of Chhattisgarh, Balaghat Superintendent of Police (SP) Nagendra Singh told PTI over phone.

The division is also called 'KB', he said.

She carried a bounty of Rs 14 lakh and was killed along with three other female Naxals in the hours-long gunfight in a forest area, said the police officer.

The Maoist leader hailed from Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, said Singh, adding "We are collecting her dossier. She appears to be aged around 40." Asked about the identity of her three slain accomplices, the SP said they were gathering information about them as well.

The other division of Maoists in Madhya Pradesh was Gondia, Ranjandgaon and Balaghat (GRB). KB and GRB divisions come under MCC (Maharashtra, MP and Chhattisgarh) zone of Naxals, he informed.

The anti-Naxal Hawk Force of the state police and local police teams took part in the operation that took place in a forested area, said additional superintendent of police Vijay Dabar.

Weapons were also recovered from the encounter site, he said.

Balaghat shares borders with Gondia district of Maharashtra and Rajnandgaon, Khairagarh and Kawardha districts of Chhattisgarh with both adjoining states facing Left-wing extremism in certain pockets.

The gunbattle broke out in the morning, at a location some 90 km away from the district headquarters, Dabar told PTI.

The spot is near Ronda Forest Camp in Supkhar Forest Range under Garhi police station area, as per an official statement.

Police recovered an INSAS rifle, a Self-Loading Rifle (SLR) and a .303 rifle besides essential daily-use items from the spot.

Twelve police teams were carrying out a combing operation to track down the Naxalites who escaped into the forest, officials said.

Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), a special operations unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), assisted the Hawk Force and the MP police in scouring the thicket, they said.

CoBRA specializes in jungle warfare and guerrilla tactics.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate the police for neutralising the rebels.

"Congratulations to the Madhya Pradesh police for this achievement in the effort to eradicate Naxalism from the state," he wrote.

Yadav, who holds the home portfolio, asserted his government is working towards achieving the Centre's goal of eliminating Left-wing extremism in the next one year.

"Under the guidance of the Honourable Prime Minister @narendramodi, the Honourable Home Minister @AmitShah is running a campaign to eliminate Naxalism from the country by 2026, and our government is also working seriously in this direction," the CM stated.