13 Maoists killed in major security operation ahead of Lok Sabha polls

Bhopal:

In a major operation ahead of Lok Sabha elections in Chhattisgarh, security forces killed at least 13 Maoists. Police said the shootout took place in a remote forest in Bijapur district on Tuesday. The exchange of fire lasted about eight hours, with the area tense and filled with the aftermath of the fighting.

Superintendent of Police P Sundarraj said the police had seized a large number of rifles, machine guns and ammunition.

“The bodies of the Maoists are yet to be identified,” Mr Sundaraj said, adding that three of the victims were women.

Another police official said that superficially it appeared that the insurgents had been killed

“The deceased Naxalites have not yet been identified, but prima facie, they belong to the second company of the Maoist People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army,” the official said.

The operation was led by the Bijapur District Reserve Guard in collaboration with Central Reserve Police Force, STF and CoBRA teams in an effort to neutralize the threat posed by Maoists in the area. Security forces launched the operation after intelligence revealed the presence of notorious Maoist leader Papa Rao.

During the search of the encounter site, security forces found a large cache of weapons and ammunition, including a light machine gun, a .303 caliber rifle and a 12 caliber rifle, as well as a large number of BGL shells and launchers.

Bijapur district falls under the Bastar Lok Sabha constituency, which will hold the first phase of general election voting on April 19.