Two ‘commander-rank’ cadres among 4 Naxals killed in Dantewada

Four Naxals, including a ‘commander-rank’ woman cadre, were on Wednesday gunned down while a jawan was injured in an encounter between security personnel and the ultras in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district.

The security forces recovered a total of eight weapons, including four .303 service rifles, 12 bore rifles, 315 bore rifles, and around 30 backpacks.

Two bodies have been identified as Madkami Deve, commander of 26th platoon of CPI Maoists and Maasa, commander of Katekalyan area committee, a wanted in Jheeram case.

The incident took place in the wee hours in the restive Dabba-Kunna hills when the joint team of CRPF, District Reserve Group and STF was out on an anti-Maoist operation, according to Dantewada Superintendent of Police Kamlochan Kashyap.

Based on specific inputs, the operation was launched by security forces on Tuesday night to flush out ultras hiding in the forests near Dabba and Kunna villages, the SP said.

The two villages are located on top of a hill which lies along the Dantewada and Sukma districts border, about 500 km from Raipur. The encounter took place near Dabba Kunna villages of Dantewada district by joint forces comprising DRG, STF and CRPF on Wednesday morning.

A group of armed Naxals opened indiscriminate firing at the security personnel close to Dabba village following which an encounter broke out between the two sides.

In the face-off, four ultras armed with country-made weapons and explosives, including a woman, were killed, the SP said.

Two ‘commander-rank’ cadre including a woman are among the killed ultras, he said, adding a DRG jawan sustained injuries in the incident.

During a search operation, the bodies of the killed Maoists and at least seven firearms and a huge cache of Naxal-related items were recovered from the spot, Kashyap said.

Reinforcement was rushed to the spot and efforts are on to evacuate the injured jawan, he said, adding that further details are awaited.