Two Naxalites killed in encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh

Dantewada: Two Naxalites, including a woman, were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on Tuesday, police said.

The gunfight occurred in the morning in a forest near the villages of Purangel and Gampur under the Kirandul police station area, where a joint team of security forces was out on an anti-Naxalite operation, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Gaurav Rai said.

The operation was launched based on inputs about the presence of armed Naxalites in the area, he said.

Personnel from the District Reserve Guard, Bastar Fighters, both units of the state police, and the Central Reserve Police Force's 111th, 230th, and 231st battalions, were part of the operation, the official said.

After the exchange of fire stopped, the bodies of a male and female Naxalite were recovered from the scene along with two weapons, some explosives, and other items, he said.

A few other Naxalites were also reported to be injured in the gun battle, he said.

The identity of the deceased is yet to be ascertained, and a search operation is underway in the area, the SP said.

In similar operations last week, a Naxalite was killed in Kanker district on March 16, while two were gunned down in Bijapur district on March 15.