Naxal chief killed in Bastar area

Bhopal: A Naxal commander, carrying Rs 8 lakh on his head, was on Friday gunned down in an encounter with security personnel in Ranidongri forest in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district. A jawan of special task force was also injured in the incident. He was the second middle-ranked Maoist cadre to be neutralised in Bastar in the past three months. According to Bastar range I-G Vivekanand Sinha, a combing party was attacked by a military company leading to a fierce exchange of fires between them.

Later, security personnel recovered body of a Naxal in Maoist fatigue, a self-loaded rifle (SLR) and some rebel materials in the encounter site.

The slain Naxal has been identified as Mahesh, section commander of Military Company number six of People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) of CPI (Maoist), Mr Sinha said. He carried a reward of Rs 8 lakh on his head.

“At least seven more rebels have been killed in the encounter. The combing party has witnessed the Maoists throwing the bodies in the nearby water body before fleeing the encounter site,” he said.

One STF constable, Manish Jha, was injured in the incident. He was airlifted to Raipur for treatment.

Earlier in April this year, security personnel gunned down Vilash, divisional committee member of East Bastar Division, in an encounter in Bastar district.

An AK 47 assault rifle was recovered in the encounter site then.