3 jawans dead, over 12 Naxals killed in Sukma as Operation Prahar ends

Raipur: Over one dozen Naxals and three jawans were killed in anti-Naxal 'Operation Prahaar' in Chhattisgarh, said Special Director General of Police DM Awasthi on Sunday.

The DG said that approximately 1500 security personnel participated and launched a 56-hour long offensive against Naxals.

"Three District Reserve Guard jawans have been killed and five suffered injuries. Over one dozen Naxals were killed and eight to ten were injured. It was a 56-hour long operation. Approximately 1500 security personnel participated in this joint operation which ended today," said Awasthi.

He said that it was first of its kind initiative wherein the firing lasted approximately for 12 hours.

A composite squad of the STF, District Reserve Group (DRG), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and its elite unit-CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) began the operation based on inputs about the location of Maoist hideouts in the interiors of Chintagufa, around 500 km from Bastar, on Friday.

Read: Sukma encounter: 1 more police jawan dies; toll climbs to 3

Meanwhile, two CoBRA personnel have been critically injured in an IED blast in Bijapur, while returning from an operation on Sunday.

Also, the security forces in Dantewada's Dodi Tumnar busted a naxal camp from where they recovered five hand-made grenades and paraphernalia from their possession.

Earlier on Saturday, two police personnel were killed and seven other personnel injured in two separate encounters with Naxalites in insurgency-hit Sukma district.

Four separate encounters between Naxalites and security forces have been reported in the state since Saturday. While two encounters took place in Sukma on Saturday, others occurred in Bijapur, including one on Sunday morning.