At least 18 Naxalites, including a top Maoist commander, were neutralised by the security forces in an encounter that broke out in the Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, said a senior official on Thursday. The encounter broke out in the forest along the border of Bijapur-Dantewada districts after anti-Naxal operation was launched by the security forces in the area.
Initially, 12 Maoists were killed, but Kamlochan Kashyap, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, South Bastar region confirmed on Thursday that six more bodies have been recovered. The security forces have also recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition, and AK-47 and INSAS rifles from the slayed Naxalites.
One of the 18 Naxalites neutralised by the security forces has been identified as Modiyam Vella, who was an active commander of the company number 2 of the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA). According to Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj Pattilingam, Vella was involved in multiple attacks, including the 2020 Minpa ambush in Sukma that claimed the lives of 17 security personnel.
Vella was carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh on his head.
Unfortunately, the security forces also lost three District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel in the encounter. "Head constable Monu Vadadi, constable Dukaru Gonde and jawan Ramesh Sodhi, belonging to the DRG Bijapur, were martyred in the encounter, while two other DRG personnel - assistant sub-inspector Janardan Korram and constable Somdev Yadav - sustained injuries," Pattilingam was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
With this, the security forces have neutralised 275 Naxalites in Chhattisgarh this year. Of these, 246 alone were killed in the Baster region, 27 in Gariaband district and two in Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district. On the other hand, 23 personnel of the security forces have lost their lives in anti-Naxal operations in the state this year.
With inputs from Sikander Khan
