An intense battle of gunfire erupted on Friday morning between security forces and Maoist rebels in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district, killing one Maoist woman. Authorities suspect the death toll might be higher as the battle rages on in a thickly wooded area.
The shootout occurred in the hilly terrain between the villages of Amatola and Kalpar, on the opposite bank of a river within the limits of the Chhotebethiya police station. Security forces carried out an operation in the region after receiving specific inputs about the movements of Maoists.
"After getting actionable input regarding Maoist presence, a joint party of personnel belonging to the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Border Security Force (BSF) had launched a search operation. While conducting combing operations, there was an exchange of gunfire with Maoist cadres. A female Maoist in uniform was found dead along with weapons and other equipment," Additional Superintendent of Police Dinesh Sinha told IANS.
Sinha added that intermittent firing continued and more information would be provided once the operation is over and staff returns from the field.
The area of operation is near the Shanna region of Maoist-infested Maad, a corridor traditionally dominated by Maoists with aggressive terrain and strategic importance to rebel groups. The region has seen multiple security issues and is therefore at the center of counterinsurgency efforts in the Bastar division as a whole.
Following police sources, the campaign has considerably dented Maoist strongholds in the Chhotebethiya region, a key theatre of operations in the battle against the outlawed CPI (Maoist).
The latest action is a follow-up to a high-impact counter-insurgency operation earlier this week along the Chhattisgarh-Andhra Pradesh border. During the operation, the special force Greyhounds unit neutralized three senior Maoist cadres in Maredpalli.
Among the killed were Central Committee member Gajarla Ravi, who had a reward of ₹40 lakh, and Special Zonal Committee member Aruna, wife of Maoist commander Chalpati, with a reward of ₹20 lakh.
Andhra Pradesh's Alluri Sitarama Raju district Superintendent of Police Amit Bardar identified the victims, highlighting the increased pressure on the Maoist leadership.
Early reports from the Kanker operation also indicate that a further female rebel might have been shot dead, although authorities have yet to confirm that report officially.
Security forces proceed with their tactical sweep of the forest on the basis of cornering Maoist troops and claiming further material from the location.
These repeated offensives indicate a mounting pace in the anti-Maoist campaign, attacking operatives at grassroots and strategic command levels as part of an overall national effort to disintegrate the insurgency in central India.
