March 20 Bijapur encounter weakenes Maoists’ west Bastar division
May neutralise Naxal threat to K-K rly line operation
Bhopal: March 20 Bijapur encounter in which 26 hardcore Naxals including 14 women were killed has dealt a severe blow to the west Bastar division, a formidable formation of Maoists, a senior police officer said on Friday.
Eighteen of 26 Naxals, slain in the encounter with the security forces in the forest of Andri under Gangaloor area in Bijapur district in south Bastar of Chhattisgarh, were on Friday identified.
“The west Bastar division has considerably weakened with the encounter killing of at least half-a-dozen Maoist leaders of the formation including one divisional committee (DVC) member and five area committee members (ACMs) of the red unit.
The People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) platoon number 13, a formidable formation of the Maoists, has also suffered a jolt with killing of at least nine members”, Bastar range inspector general of police P Sunderraj told this newspaper.
The encounter took place in Pedia, known as Maoists’ core area, behind the Bailadila hills.
The Bailadila iron ore mine in the area has frequently been targeted by the west Bastar division of the Maoists.
The Kirandul-Kothavalasa railway line, considered the economic lifeline of the local tribals in south Bastar, has also been targeted frequently by Maoist formation, often disrupting operations in the route.
“The elimination of threat from the west Bastar division of Maoists will help revive economic activities in the region improving the living standards of the local tribals, besides ensuring infrastructure development like construction of roads and installation of mobile towers in the region”, a senior police officer said.
Of the 18 slain Maoists identified so far, one was a DVC member, five were ACMs, three were PPCMs (Platoon Party Committee Members), and nine were members of the PLGA platoon number 13.
They cumulatively carried a bounty of Rs 89 lakh.
Huge cache of arms and ammunition including automatic weapons and explosives were recovered at the encounter site by the security forces.
They included one AK 47 assault rifle, and 36 cartridges, one sniper self-loaded rifle (SLR) rifle, one INSAS rifle, three numbers of .303 rifles, one 315 bore rifle, two numbers of 12 bore rifles, one rocket launcher, three numbers of barrel grenade launchers (BGLs), a number of muzzle-loading guns and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
According to Mr. Sunderraj, a total 97 Maoists were killed in separate encounters with security forces in Bastar division comprising seven districts in the last 80 days.
Of them, 82 Maoists were killed in Bijapur district under south Bastar.
In a separate encounter that took place in the Kurusnar forest under Chotebethia police station in Kanker district in Bastar on Thursday, four Maoists including a woman were killed.
All the four deceased Naxals were on Friday identified.