Major Naxalite Operation Claims 7 Rebels' Lives, as Bastar District of Chhattisgarh Stays on High Alert

Seven Naxalites, including two women, were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region on Tuesday, taking the total number of rebels killed this year to 88 amid heightened anti-Naxal operations.

The Abhujmad forest located in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh experienced some relief from Naxal activities early Tuesday morning when seven Naxals including two women were killed in an encounter with security forces.

The event happened in the mountainous area between Tekmeta and Kakur villages, bordering the Kanker district, in the early morning hours of 6 am when the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Special Task Force (STF) were conducting joint anti-Naxal operation.

The bodies of the seven rebels who were shot during the gun battle that had lasted for some time were later retrieved from the scene when the gun battle ended. The fact that the identities of the opponents were still unknown, the encounter scene was searched and retrieved an AK-47 rifle, other arms, and explosives.

This is a fortnight after one of the biggest anti-Naxal operations in Chhattisgarh on April 16 in which 29 top cadres, including 12 women, were killed in the Kanker district.

The second encounter of the month landed on Tuesday bringing the total number of the Naxalites being savaged in Bastar region this year to 88.

The search operations were still being conducted in the Naxalite-dominated region, as was confirmed by the officials. The Abhujmad forests, covering some sections of Narayanpur and Bijapur districts, are rife with Maoist insurgents.

Also Read: There Was An Encounter Between The Police And Naxalites In Kanker, Where A Brave Soldier Was Martyred

Today's actions are the continuation of the intensified counter-naxal operations in the Bastar District that are being conducted before the upcoming parliamentary and assembly elections this year.