Raipur: Eight Maoists were killed in a gunfight with the Chhattisgarh police and security personnel in Bijapur district on Friday, officials aware of the matter said.
Officials said that the gunfight took place in a forest near Pidia village under Gangaloor police station limits when a team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxal operation.
“Eight bodies of Maoists have been recovered so far from the encounter site, and a combing operation is still going on”, said deputy inspector general of police, South Bastar, Kamalochan Kashyap.
Further details are awaited, he said.
“Search operation is still underway in the area, and the police force is still in the jungle. The encounter was carried out by the district reserve guard (DRG) and Special Task Force (STF),” the senior officer added.
Including the recent killings, overall, 99 Maoists have been killed in the first four months of 2024 alone in gunfights with the security forces. Meanwhile, in counter-reaction from the Maoists, 21 civilians were killed by the insurgents in 2024, and 41 civilians were killed in 2023.