Two policemen were killed and five Special Task Force personnel were injured in Sukma district of South Chhattisgarh on Saturday during an anti-Maoist operation by security forces.
D.M. Awasthi, special Director General of Police, Anti-Naxal Operations Unit of Chhattisgarh Police, said 15 to 20 Maoists were killed in Operation Prahar. He said, “We launched two anti-Maoist operations on Friday. One in Bijapur and the other one in Sukma, where we deputed 1,500 personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force, Special Task Force, District Reserve Guard and Commando Battalion for Resolute Action.
“An encounter took place on Saturday morning near Tondamarka village, considered the headquarters of the Maoists’ military battalion number 1.”
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He said, “About 15 to 20 Maoists were killed in the encounter. We have recovered the body of one Maoist and a self loading rifle, suggesting he was a big Maoist commander. Two District Reserve Guards were killed in fresh firing at 4 p.m. Five STF men were injured in the morning. The firing is still on in the area.” The DGP also said, “Some of our jawans were injured while trying to recover the bodies of the Maoists.”
The injured STF men were moved to Raipur in an Indian Air Force chopper. IAF spokesperson B.K. Pande said, “The Task Force Commander of the IAF sent a helicopter as news came in about the jawans sustaining bullet injuries. The area was a high threat zone close to the operations area. As the nearest helipad for Mi-17 operations was at a distance away, it was decided to sent helicopters to evacuate the casualties from site of the encounter. Two helicopters with a medical team on board left for the site at 12.50 p.m. The five jawans were safely airlifted to Raipur for treatment, the helicopters flying more than two hours in the process.”
An injured STF jawan told reporters at a hospital in Raipur that more than 300 Maoists were involved in the attack at Tondamarka.
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In the operation in Bijapur district, security forces gunned down one Maoist and recovered his body. In a separate incident, security forces arrested seven alleged Maoists from Dantewada district.