Kumar Bahukhandi
While 12 Maoists were killed in Sukma, two died in Bijapur district.
Sukma / Bijapur : Security forces killed 14 Naxalites, including wanted ultras Mangtu (DVCM) and Hunga Madkam, in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma and Bijapur districts in the Bastar region on Saturday, officials said.
While 12 Naxalites, including Mangtu (DVCM), were neutralised by the security forces during an exchange of fire in Sukma, the bodies of two Maoist cadres, including Hunga Madkam, were found in the forests of Gaganpalli village in Basaguda, Bijapur, senior officials in the Ministry of Home Affairs said.
In Bijapur, the forces recovered one SLR rifle and one 12-bore rifle, along with the bodies of two Naxalites, they said.
This was the first encounter between Maoists and security forces this year. Both encounters are part of an intensified anti-Naxal campaign in the Bastar region.
Last year, a total of 285 Maoists were killed in encounters with security forces in the state.
