Kanker: Security forces gunned down three Naxalites, including a woman cadre, in an encounter in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district on Sunday. The operation, carried out on a forested hill near Chhindkhadak village at the Kanker-Gariaband border, involved personnel from the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Border Security Force (BSF).
Kanker Superintendent of Police Indira Kalyan Elesela said the slain Naxalites were identified as Sarvan Madkam alias Vishwanath, secretary of the Sitanadi/Ravas area committee; Rajesh alias Rakesh Hemla, a Nagari area committee member; and Basanti Kunkjam alias Hidme, from the Mainpur-Nuapada protection team.
Madkam carried a reward of ₹8 lakh, Hemla ₹5 lakh, and Kunkjam ₹1 lakh. Security forces recovered a self-loading rifle, a .303 rifle, a 12-bore gun, and other Maoist materials from the site.
Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj P, praised the dedication of security forces working under tough conditions. He urged Maoist cadres to shun violence and accept the government’s rehabilitation policy, warning of strict consequences if they continued unlawful activities.
With this encounter, the toll of Naxalites killed in Chhattisgarh this year has reached 252, including 223 in Bastar division and 27 in Gariaband. Earlier, on September 22, two top CPI (Maoist) Central Committee members, Raju Dada and Kosa Dada, were also killed in Narayanpur district.
