Nine Maoists killed in Chhattisgarh as India hits hard on red terror
Maoist encounter in Chhattisgarh (Representative image)
Nine Maoists were killed in an armed encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh's Bastar on Tuesday (Sept 3), about 280 km south of the state capital Raipur in central India.
The gunfight broke out around 10.30 am (Indian Standard Time) in the forest along the border of Dantewada and Bijapur districts. This is when a joint team of security forces was out on an anti-Maoist operation, Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range Sundarraj P told news agency Press Trust of India.
Personnel belonging to the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were part of the operation. The operation was launched after inputs were received about the presence of Maoists belonging to its west Bastar division unit.
The exchange of fire lasted for a "long duration" after which the authorities found the bodies of nine Maoists clad in 'uniform'.
Besides, a huge cache of weapons was also seized from the encounter site, he said.
)
Amid explosions in Doha, White House says monitoring threats to US forces in Mideast
)
Iran launches Ops 'Glad Tidings of Victory' against US: Tehran fires missiles at US base in Qatar, explosions heard in Doha
)
Iran to target Qatar next? Doha halts air traffic amid fears of Iranian missile strike on LARGEST US airbase in Middle East
)
What is Brain Aneurysm, AVM, and Trigeminal Neuralgia? Rare disorders that Salman Khan is suffering from | Doctor decodes
)
'Take away power of this regime': Trump 'still interested' in Iran diplomacy but asks why Iranians don’t overthrow 'violent' regime
Security personnel were reported to be safe and the search operation was still underway in the area, Press Trust of India reported.
Also watch |Maoist attack rocks Chhattisgarh : 10 security personnel, driver killed
Bastar region comprises seven districts, including Dantewada and Bijapur.
A total of 154 Maoists have been gunned down by the security forces in various parts of Chhattisgarh so far.
Naxal-Maoist insurgency in India
The term Naxal comes from the village Naxalbari in West Bengal where the far-left Naxalbari uprising of 1967 occurred. People who are engaged in the insurgency are called Naxals or Naxalites. The movement itself is referred to as Naxalism.
At its core, they are a group of far-left radical communists, supportive of Maoist political sentiment and ideology.
(With inputs from agencies)