In a fierce battle between security forces and Naxals on Thursday, 8 Maoists including four women were gunned down in a jungle in south Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. The encounter took place near the village of Timinar located in the border of Dantewada and Bijapur districts in south Bastar early on Thursday, according to Dantewada district additional superintendent of police (ASP) G N Baghel.
Also Read: Parliament Monsoon Session 2018 Day 3 LIVE: Rahul Gandhi hugs PM Modi
Later, Maoists fled into the hinterland of the jungle. Security forces recovered bodies of eight Naxals in uniform along with a cache of firearms at the encounter site. The weapons recovered included two INSAS assault rifles, two .303 rifles, a 12 bore gun and a few muzzle-loading guns. “The bodies were brought to the district headquarters. Recovery of two INSAS assault rifles indicated that two of the eight slain Maoists might be area commander ranked leaders,” Mr Baghel said.
According to a senior police officer posted in Bastar, ‘the search operation was carried by the security forces following the tipoff on the presence of Maoist leader Ganesh Uiki, a military strategist of Naxals, in the jungle. Union home minister Rajnath Singh called Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh to congratulate him over the successful counterinsurgency measure by security forces in Bastar. The Chhattisgarh chief minister also described it a major success by security forces and congratulated Dantewada district police for it.’