Two policemen and as many Maoists were killed on Sunday in a gun battle between security personnel and ultras in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district.
The face-off between the security personnel and Naxals took place in a dense forest under Mirtur Police Station limits, Bijapur Additional Superintendent of Police Indira Kalyan Elesela said.
When the joint contingent of Special Task Force (STF) and district police force reached Mirtur forests, a group of armed rebels opened indiscriminate firing on them. The police personnel retaliated, he said.
After the gun fight that lasted for around two hours, the Naxals escaped into the core forests.
Reinforcement was rushed to the spot and efforts were on to retrieve the bodies of jawans and Naxals from the dense forests, he said.
Combing operations have been launched to nab the attackers in the forests, the ASP said.
The deceased have been identified as STF constable Sitaram Kunjam and district police reserve group’s assistant constable Moti Ram (28), he said.
“Efforts are on to retrieve the injured constable Payku Ram Poyam from the forest,” he added.
(With inputs from PTI)
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