Over 26 Maoists killed in Narayanpur-Bijapur encounter; Dy CM appeals for surrender
Raipur
More than 26 Maoists were killed in an encounter with security personnel in a forest along the border of Narayanpur and Bijapur districts in Chhattisgarh. Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma described this as a significant success for the District Reserve Guard (DRG) while talking to reporters in Raipur on Wednesday.
An assistant police constable was killed and a police jawan sustained injuries in the gunfight, Sharma, who also holds the Home Department of Chhattisgarh, told reporters in Raipur.
The encounter took place in the dense forests between Abhujmad and Indravati National Park when a joint team of the DRG was on an anti-Naxal operation, Sharma said.
“More than 26 Naxals, some of them likely top cadres, were killed in the gunfight. There is a possibility of major Maoist cadres killed in the incident, but we will have to confirm. One supporter of the police was killed and a police jawan was injured in the action,” he said.
Search operations were still underway, and further details will be released, he added.
Sharma reiterated his appeal to Maoists to surrender their weapons. “Both the central government and the state government do not want to fire even one bullet. We are ready to talk. The Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, during his last two visits to Chhattisgarh’s Bastar appealed to Maoists to join the mainstream. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has also made the same appeal. Weapons are not the solution,” Mr. Sharma said.
DRG teams from four districts – Narayanpur, Bijapur, Dantewada, and Kondagaon – are involved in the operation. It was launched based on intelligence inputs about the presence of senior cadres from the Maoists’ Maad division.
