Eight Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Saturday, police said. The gunfight began around 8.30 am in the forests of the Gangaloor police station area when a joint team of security personnel was conducting an anti-Naxalite operation, news agency PTI reported.
According to a senior police official, the operation was launched on Friday following intelligence inputs about the presence of Maoist cadres from the West Bastar Division in the region.
Personnel from the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF) of the state police, and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), including its elite unit CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action), were involved in the operation.
Security forces had been engaged in intermittent gunfire with the Maoists since the morning. More details about the encounter are awaited as the operation is still ongoing. Patrolling and search operations continue in the area to ensure security and gather further intelligence.
