Two Maoists, including a woman, were killed in an encounter with police in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district on Monday morning. The police recovered a cache of explosives and an automatic weapon from the encounter site, and the two Maoists were carrying a collective reward of ₹ 11 lahks on their heads. The gunfight took place in a forest near Danteshpuram village under Bheji police station limits when a team of District Reserve Guard (DRG) was out on an anti-Maoist operation.
Sukma Superintendent of Police Sunil Sharma said that the police had specific inputs about the presence of Golapalli Local Organisation Squad (LOS) Maoist commander Madkam Erra along with 30-35 team members. Hence, separate teams of DRG, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and its elite unit Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) launched the operation on Sunday night. When one of the patrolling teams of the DRG was cordoning off the Danteshpuram forest, armed Maoists opened fire, leading to the gun battle.
After the guns fell silent, the bodies of two Maoists were recovered from the spot. They were identified as LOS commander Erra and woman cadre Podiyam Bhime, deputy commander of the same squad. Erra and Bhime were carrying rewards of ₹ 8 lahks and ₹ 3 lahks respectively on their heads. “Erra, also an area committee member of Maoists, was allegedly involved in more than two dozen incidents of Maoist violence,” Sharma said.
A search operation was underway in nearby areas. Maoists have been active in Chhattisgarh for many years and have targeted government officials and security personnel. The state government has been taking measures to curb Maoist activities, including launching anti-Maoist operations and development initiatives in affected areas. However, the Maoists continue to carry out attacks and engage in violent activities in the region.
