16 of 30 Maoists killed in twin operations were women in Chhattisgarh

RAIPUR: Sixteen of the 30 Maoists killed in the twin encounters in Bijapur and Kanker districts of Chhattisgarh's Bastar division on Thursday were women, Bastar range IG P Sundarraj said Friday. Police have so far identified 19 of the dead cadres, and their combined bounty has crossed Rs 1 crore. This, and the seizure of a powerful arsenal - a sniper rifle, an AK-47, rocket launchers, grenade launchers, Insas rifles and IEDs - indicated that forces hit some Maoist A-listers in the encounters.

Twenty-six Maoists were gunned down by a joint team of District Reserve Guards, CoBRA commandos and CRPF in Bijapur's Gangaloor in a prolonged, intense encounter, cops said. Fifteen of them were women, said the IG. In a simultaneous operation almost 250km away, DRG and BSF teamed up to kill four Maoists, including a woman, in Kanker's Chhote Bethiya.

DRG - the unit spearheading anti-Maoist ops in Bastar - lost a braveheart, constable Rajuram Oyam, in the Bijapur operation, said IG Sundarraj.

Officers called Thursday's operation a big blow to Maoists of West Bastar Division Committee who have terrorised and scripted attacks for the longest time in Bijapur forests.

"Of the 30 Naxalites killed in twin encounters, 19 were identified, including Lokesh, commander of PLGA Company 5, who carried a reward of Rs 8 lakh and was killed in Kanker," said IG Sundarraj. Another hardcore cadre neutralised was Sito Kadti, divisional committee member, who also carried a Rs 8 lakh bounty. The other 17 were area committee members, including several from PLGA, carrying rewards of Rs 5 lakh each.

"Hit by relentless operations, influence of Reds is diminishing rapidly, and forces continue to open camps and extend welfare schemes in the interior regions, ensuring development and stability," Bijapur SP Jitendra Yadav said.
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