At least six Maoists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh-Telangana border area on Monday morning, police said.
The skirmish took place between 6 am and 7 am in a forest in Kistaram area of Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, located over 400 km from the state capital Raipur, they said. Six ultras, including four women, were killed in the gun-battle with the special anti-Naxal Greyhounds unit of the Telangana Police, a senior police official posted in Bastar said.
A joint team of the District Reserve Guard and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) from Sukma was also out on the operation in the area as an auxiliary support to the Greyhounds team, he said. “As per preliminary reports, bodies of six ultras, including four women, belonging to the Kistaram area committee of Maoists, were recovered from the spot,” the official said, adding that the operation is still underway.
Terming the operation as a huge success, Sukma Superintendent of Police Sunil Sharma claimed security forces inflicted a heavy blow to the Kistaram area committee of Maoists, which had been instrumental in carrying out various deadly attacks in the past.
“There are total five area committees of Maoists operating in Sukma. In the last six months, security forces have been successful in effectively controlling the activities of the Kerlapal and Konta area committees,” Sharma told news agency. Top cadres from the Kerlapal area committee surrendered in the last one year while in August this year, a local organisation squad (LOS) commander and his deputy from the Konta area committee were killed in an encounter with the Sukma police, he said.
“Now that the Kistaram area committee has been significantly decimated, the next target will be to neutralise two other committees – Katekalyan and Jagargunda,” he added. Earlier in the day, Telangana’s Bhadradri Kothagudem district Superintendent of Police Sunil Dutt said the ultras were killed in a joint operation of the Telangana and Chhattisgarh Police and the CRPF.
He said they received a tip-off that Maoists were trying to attack the security forces and combing was stepped up in the area.