Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Balaghat/Rajnandgaon, Nov 24 (IANS) In a major blow to Maoist insurgents operating on the Madhya Pradesh-Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh tri-junction, security forces have recovered a huge cache of Left Wing Extremism material from an abandoned camp in the dense forests of Kauhapani village under Boratlav police station (Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh).
Around 300 personnel were immediately dispatched from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh and searches were intensified within a radius of 15 km.
For three consecutive days, the teams conducted search operations in dense forests, ravines and hill tops, leaving no chance for the Maoists to escape.
On 22 November, the second phase of operation led by Chhattisgarh STF, District Reserve Guard (DRG) Rajnandgaon and DRG Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh post finally targeted the temporary camp of the rebels.
Seeing the army advancing, the frightened Maoists left everything and ran into the forest.
A huge amount of Maoist material was seized from the camp site, including several sets of olive-green uniforms and backpacks, solar panels with charging kits, walkie-talkie sets and batteries, explosive materials and detonators, tents, tarpaulin sheets, cooking utensils and large quantities of ration, important diaries, letters and propaganda documents.
A four-day joint anti-leftist operation launched on November 19 following specific intelligence about the presence of Maoists in the hilly area turned into a fierce gun-battle the same day.
Inspector Ashish Sharma of Balaghat District Police was martyred while bravely leading the team attacking from the front. His supreme sacrifice inspired the armies to tighten the siege.
Heavy blood stains found a few hundred meters from the encounter site indicate that at least three Naxalites have been seriously injured, one of whom is said to be in critical condition.
Intelligence revealed that the escape squad desperately tried to procure medicines and a doctor from nearby villages, but the local tribals, fed up with decades of Maoist extortion, flatly refused to cooperate.
Six dedicated teams participated in the final attack, including STF Baghera, DRG Mohla and DRG Rajnandgaon. All the recovered items have been seized and sent for forensic examination.
Security officials described the seizure as one of the biggest this year, dealing a severe logistical and psychological blow to the dwindling Maoist cadre.
“The intense joint operation will continue unabated until the last Naxalite is killed or surrenders,” a senior officer said.
–IANS
SKTR/PGH