Police Identify Slain Naxalites After Encounter in Chhattisgarh

According to a senior source, police have identified nine of the 29 Naxalites that were killed by security forces on Tuesday during an encounter in the Kanker district of Chhattisgarh.

According to Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P, seven additional Naxalites had been recognized as of Wednesday evening, but the names of two were determined on Tuesday after the encounter.

The deceased Naxalites have been identified as divisional committee members Shankar Rao and Lalita; members of the north Bastar division Madhvi, Ramshila, and Ranjitha; members of the Partapur area committee Jugni, Sukhlal, and Shrikant; and a commander of the Medhki LOS (local organization squad), he said.

He claimed that efforts are on to identify the last few slain Maoists.

There are between 70 and 80 cadres in the Maoist north Bastar division committee, which is composed of the four area committees of Raoghat, Partapur, Kuve, and Kisodo, according to past statements from officials.

According to him, up to 22 weapons were recovered from the encounter site, including an AK-47 rifle, two Insas rifles, a Self-Loading Rifle (SLR), a carbine, three.303 rifles, two 315 bore rifles, two 9MM pistols, two launchers built in the nation, eight muzzle-loading guns, and one hand grenade created in the nation.

In addition, a sizable stockpile of weapons, explosives, Maoist literature, and everyday necessities was discovered near the site of the gunfight.

According to him, the origin of the weapons—the majority of which were taken from security guards during previous encounters—has not yet been determined.

In a significant counter-insurgency operation, 29 Naxalites—including 15 women—dressed in "uniform" were slain on Tuesday in a shootout with security forces close to Binagunda village, which is inside the boundaries of the Chhotebethiya police station.

During the gunfight, three security guards were also hurt.