29 Maoists killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh

In one of the biggest operations carried out by the security forces in recent times, at least 29 Maoists were gunned down in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker region on Tuesday.

According to the police, top Maoist leaders Shankar Rao, who carried a reward of Rs 25 lakh on his head, and Lalita were killed in the encounter.

Chhattisgarh police said the number of fatalities could go up as the search operation is still underway in the dense forest.

Three security personnel, including two BSF jawans and one from the state police’s District Reserve Guard (DRG), suffered injuries in the incident.

The operation was carried out by a joint team of the BSF and DRG near the Binagunda-Koragutta forest area in Kanker. Police said 29 bodies along with large cache of arms and ammunition including AK-47 rifles were recovered during the search after the encounter, police said.