Seven Naxalites have been killed in an encounter on Wednesday in the West Bastar Division area along the Bijapur-Dantewada inter-district border in Chhattisgarh.
Bastar IG P. Sundarraj said the joint anti-Naxal operation was carried out by teams of District Reserve Guard (DRG) Dantewada–Bijapur, Special Task Force, Central Reserve Police Force and CoBRA. As the security forces advanced into the forest, the Naxals opened fire, forcing the security forces to respond.
He further said two jawans have been killed in the line of duty, and one person has sustained injuries in the operation, reported news agency ANI.
According to media reports, the number of Naxalites killed in the encounter is likely to increase.
The anti-Naxal task force has reportedly surrounded a large number of Naxals, and the encounter is still underway, say media reports.
Dantewada DIG Kamalochan Kashyap has been quoted as saying that the encounter has been going on for more than two hours.
Media reports suggest that anti-Naxal operations have been going on in the region for the past few months.
