Several Naxals killed in volatile Chhattisgarh district
The bloody anti-insurgency encounter raged on for several hours in a key election constituency.
2024-04-03: India’s General Elections 2024 have not even begun and there have already been some fireworks – of the fatal kind. Indian security forces gunned down as many as 13 Naxals in the embattled Bijapur district, located in the country’s central state of Chhattisgarh. A joint team of armed security personnel initiated the explosive exchange at 6 am on Tuesday morning, April 3, 2024 at a dense forest in the Maoist-infested area.
The battle had endured for as long as 8 hours when the security force was finally able to overpower the enemy. Intermittent firing characterised the violent confrontation. Initially, 10 bodies were recovered, including that of a woman, after which the victors stumbled upon three more. Cursory investigations suggested that the killed left-wing extremists belonged to the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA). But this is yet to be confirmed.
Naxal-owned ammunition was also recovered, which included a light machine gun, a 12-bore gun, several barrel grenade launchers and shells. The Bijapur district where the fighting occurred is part of the Indian Lok Sabha’s (People House) key Bastar Constituency, which will be figuring in the upcoming nationwide elections. It looks like the vanquished Naxals won’t be running for office, while the others will be running for their lives.
