12 Naxalites killed in Chhattisgarh in encounter; 2024 toll rises to 103

Raipur, May 10 : As many as 12 Naxalites were gunned down in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Friday, police said, taking the number of left-wing extremists killed so far this year in the state to 103.

Two security personnel were also injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast triggered by Maoists during the operation, they said.

This was the third major strike on Naxalites by security forces in the last one month and comes three weeks after 29 extremists were killed in an encounter in Kanker district. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai congratulated security forces and senior officials for the successful offensive in Bijapur.

The encounter broke out between the two side at around 6 am in the forest near Pidia, located over 450 km away from state capital Raipur, and then multiple exchange of fire took place in different places in the area, he said.

After the guns fell silent, bodies of 12 Naxalites were recovered from the spot, he said, adding their identity was yet to be ascertained.

Besides, a barrel grenade launcher (BGL), a 12 bore gun, a country made rifle, BGL shells, a huge cache of explosives, Maoist uniforms, bags, medicines and Naxal publicity materials and literature were seized from the gunfight site , he said.

The two security personnel injured in the IED blast triggered by Maoists during the operation were shifted to a local hospital and will be airlifted to Raipur for further treatment, he informed.