A Naxalite carrying a reward of Rs 25 lakh on his head was among three ultras killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district on Tuesday, police said.
The gunfight took place at around 8 am in a forest along the border of Dantewada and Bijapur districts when a team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxalite operation, Superintendent of Police Gaurav Rai said.
Personnel belonging to the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Bastar Fighters, both units of the state police, were involved in the operation launched on the basis of inputs anout the presence of Maoists in forests of Girsapara, Nelgoda, Bodga and Ikeli villages under Geedam police station limits, he said.
After the exchange of fire stopped, bodies of three male Naxalites were recovered from the site, the official said.
An Insas rifle, a 303 rifle, explosive materials and items of daily use were also recovered from the spot, he said.
Prima facie, one of the three Naxalites killed in the gunfight, identified as Sudhir alias Sudhakar alias Murli, resident of Warangal in Telangana, was active as a member of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee – the strongest formation of Maoists, the official said.
He was carrying a bounty of Rs 25 lakh, the official said.
The identity of the two other cadres was yet to be ascertained, he said.
Search operation was still underway in the area, he added.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently said the Narendra Modi government is moving forward with a ruthless approach against Naxalites and is adopting a zero-tolerance policy against those Maoists who have not surrendered despite facilities being offered to them, ranging from surrender to inclusion.
He said the country will be Naxal-free by March 31, 2026.
On March 20, security forces gunned down 30 Naxalites in two encounters in Bijapur and Kanker districts of the state.
With the latest action, 116 Naxalites have been gunned down in separate encounters in the state so far this year. Of them, 100 were killed in the Bastar division comprising seven districts, including Bijapur and Dantewada.
