22 forces’ personnel have been killled in a Naxal attack at Sukma-Bijapur in Chhattisgarh, police said on Sunday.
A fierce gunbattle had broken out between the forces and the Naxals in jungles along the border between Bijapur and Sukma districts on Saturday.
The officials said that nine Naxals– including a woman–were killed in the three-hour-long encounter.
“Separate joint teams of security forces, over 2,000 in number, had launched a major anti-Naxal operation from Bijapur and Sukma districts in the South Bastar forests, considered as the Maoist stronghold, on Friday night,” said Chhattisgarh Deputy Inspector General (anti-naxal operations) OP Pal on Saturday.
“At around noon on Saturday, an encounter broke out between the patrolling team that was dispatched from Tarrem and ultras belonging PLGA (Peoples’ Liberation Guerrilla Army) battalion of Maoists near Jonaguda village under Jagargunda police station area (in Sukma),” he said, adding that reinforcements were rushed to the spot.
Earlier, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and wished a quick recovery to the injured jawans while adding that the sacrifices of the soldiers will never be forgotten.
My thoughts are with the families of those martyred while fighting Maoists in Chhattisgarh. The sacrifices of the brave martyrs will never be forgotten. May the injured recover at the earliest.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 3, 2021
Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel said, “The firing between Naxals and security personnel went on for 4 hours. Naxals have suffered heavy losses. The martyrdom of our security personnel will not go in vain.”
(Developing Story)