Two Naxals were killed and several injured in an encounter with police in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district on Sunday morning, a police official said.
The gun-battle took place in Narkasa forest area, located around 170 km from Nagpur, when commandos of C-60, a specialised anti-Naxal unit of Maharashtra police, were combing the area, he said.
On specific information, the security men went to the forest area and were conducting an anti-Naxal operation when the exchange of fire took place between the two sides, the police spokesperson said.
“Two Naxals were killed in the skirmish,” he said, adding that the deceased were yet to be identified. A large number of daily use items were recovered from the spot, he said.
It is remarkable that sixteen persons, including 15 security personnel, were killed as Maoists triggered an IED blast on a truck carrying a team of C-60 commandos in Gadchiroli on May 1, 2019. Sources said that the attack was revenge for the encounters conducted by the commando unit in the region last year, in which 40 Maoist cadres were killed. This blast was triggered at 12.30 pm, hours after Maoists torched at least three dozen vehicles belonging to private contractors in Kurkheda sub-district of Gadchiroli. The impact of the blast, left a large crater on the road.
The commando unit, part of the Quick Response Team of Gadchiroli police, had set out in a private vehicle for patrolling after the arson incident, said officials. As per reports, the targeted vehicles, mostly belonged to Amar Infrastructures Ltd, and were engaged in construction works for the Purada-Yerkad sector of NH 136 near Dadapur village. The Maoists have been observing a week-long protest to mark the first anniversary of 40 of their comrades who were gunned down by security forces on April 22 last year.
