THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
Raipur, Jan 21: Reports have emerged from the Gariaband district of Chhattisgarh about a police-Naxal encounter in which 14 Naxalites have been killed. It is being said that the encounter between the police and the Naxalites has been ongoing for approximately 36 hours.
According to sources, among those killed is Jairam, also known as Chalpati, the Odisha State Chief Naxalite carrying a bounty of ₹1 crore. Additionally, CCM leaders Manoj and Guddu have also been killed in the encounter.
The clash occurred in the dense forests of Kulhadighat on the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border.
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Gariaband Superintendent of Police Nikhil Rakhecha stated that the operation, launched on Sunday, resulted in the deaths of senior Maoist leaders and the recovery of a significant cache of weapons, including automatic firearms such as SLR rifles.
The anti-Naxal search operation was a coordinated effort involving the Gariaband Operation Group E30, Cobra 207, CRPF 65 and 211 Battalions, and SOG Nuapada, who were deployed to the Kulhadighat area.
The police had received information that a large number of Naxalites had gathered in the Kulhadi Ghat forests near the border. Acting on this information, the Odisha and Chhattisgarh police launched a joint operation against the Naxalites. As security forces entered the dense Kulhadi Ghat Reserve Forest, they engaged in a confrontation with the Naxalites.
