A Maoist was killed in an ongoing exchange of fire with security forces in a forested area in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Thursday, taking the number of slain Left-wing insurgents in the state this year to at least 23 amid heightened anti-insurgency operations.
Police said that the gunbattle was triggered around 7.30am. Intermittent firing was reported from the scene even as the body of the slain Maoist and an AK-47 rifle were recovered. An official said further details will be shared after the operation concludes.
People aware of the matter identified the slain Maoist as Udham Singh, a Maoist divisional committee member, even as his identity was not confirmed officially.
On January 3, 14 Maoists were gunned down in two separate operations in the Bastar region, which includes Bijapur. Last year, 285 Maoists were killed across the state.
The fresh anti-Maoist operation was launched in Bijapur on Thursday as the Union government’s March 31 deadline for ending the Left-wing insurgency nears. Hundreds of Maoists have been killed or surrendered as the outlawed organisation faced leadership decapitation.
The killing of Maoist chief Nambala Kesava Rao, alias Basavaraju, in May last year marked the most significant success against the Left-wing insurgency in years.
www.hindustantimes.com
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