Three Naxalites, carrying a combined reward of £132,000 (approximately ₹14 lakh), were killed in a skirmish with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district on Sunday, according to a senior police official.
The gun battle took place on a forested hill close to Chhindkhadak village, situated along the border of the Kanker and Gariaband districts. A joint security team was conducting an anti-Naxal operation in the area that morning, as confirmed by Kanker Superintendent of Police, Indira Kalyan Elesela, to the media.
Personnel from the District Reserve Guard (DRG), a state police unit, drawn from Kanker and Gariaband, along with the Border Security Force (BSF), were involved in the operation.
The bodies of three Naxalites, including one female cadre, were recovered from the site. Officers also seized a Self-Loading Rifle (SLR), a .303 rifle, a 12-bore gun, and other Naxalite-related items.
The deceased have been provisionally identified as Sarvan Madkam alias Vishwanath (Secretary of the Maoists' Sitanadi/Ravas area committee), who carried a £75,000 (₹8 lakh) bounty.
Rajesh alias Rakesh Hemla (Area Committee Member of the Nagari area committee), with a £47,000 (₹5 lakh) reward.
Basanti Kunkjam alias Hidme (Member of the Mainpur-Nuapada protection team), who had a £9,500 (₹1 lakh) reward.
Sundarraj P, Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, praised the police and security forces deployed in the area, noting their dedication to protecting lives and property despite the difficult terrain and harsh weather.
He issued an appeal to Maoist cadres, urging them to “accept the reality that Maoism was on the verge of extinction.” He stated it was time for them to abandon violence and join the mainstream by taking advantage of the government’s rehabilitation policy. He warned that continuing their illegal and violent activities would lead to "severe consequences."
With this latest action, the total number of Naxalites killed in separate encounters across Chhattisgarh this year has reached 252. Earlier this month, on 22 September, two high-ranking cadres — Raju Dada alias Katta Ramachandra Reddy (63) and Kosa Dada alias Kadari Satyanarayana Reddy (67), both Central Committee members of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoists) — were also eliminated in an encounter in Narayanpur district.
Also read: 31 naxals killed along Chattisgarh-Telangana border: Amit Shah
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