31 Naxalites, 2 security personnel killed in Chhattisgarh; total toll reaches 81 this year

In a major operation against Left Wing Extremism, security forces gunned down 31 Naxalites during an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Feb 9, police said.

Two security personnel were also killed and as many others injured in the face-off, they said.

With this incident, 81 Naxalites have been gunned down by security forces in separate encounters in the state so far this year.

The latest gunfight took place at a forest in Indravati National Park area in the morning when a joint team of personnel from different security forces was out on an anti-Naxalite operation, Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj P said.

"Thirty one Naxalites have been killed in the encounter," he said.

A huge cache of weapons and explosives has also been seized from the site, the official said.

Two security personnel, one belonging to the state police's District Reserve Guard and the other from the Special Task Force, were also killed in the gunfight and two others suffered injuries, he said.

The two injured jawans, reported to be out of danger, were being airlifted to a better medical facility for treatment, he said.

Reinforcement has been rushed to the spot and search operation is still underway in the area, he added.

Out of the 81 Naxalites gunned down in the state so far this year, 65 were killed in the Bastar division comprising seven districts, including Bijapur.

Last year, 219 Naxalites were neutralized by security forces in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh, according to police.

(PTI)