A woman Naxalite was seriously injured in a gun-battle with security personnel in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district, while two jawans of the Border Security Force (BSF) also suffered minor injuries in the face-off, police said on Saturday. The exchange of fire took place on Friday night in the forests of Urpanjhur village when joint teams of security personnel were out on a search operation, they said.
Acting on inputs about presence of Naxalites, the personnel belonging to BSF’s 178th, 47th, 132nd battalions and District Force (DF) had launched a search operation from separate camps in Pakhanjore, Chhotebethiya, Bande, Badgaon and Partapur police station areas on Friday night, they said.
One single-shot rifle, a cache of live cartridges of different guns, six pressure cooker improvised explosive device (IED), one solar plate, three bundles of electric wire, batteries, Maoist uniforms, bags, pamphlets, medicines and other material were recovered from the spot, he said.
Constables Vikas Singh and Manlik Ram, belonging to the BSF’s 178th battalion, sustained minor injuries in the gunfight and they were provided preliminary treatment at the camp, Kanker Superintendent of Police Shalabh Sinha said, adding that their condition was said to be out of danger.
The injured Naxalite has been identified as Fagni Podiyami, a Local Organisation Squad (LOS) member active under RKB (Rajnandgaon Kanker Border) division of Maoists, the SP said, adding that she was carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh on her head. She is the wife of Vinod Gavde, Madanwada Local Organisation Squad (LOS) commander of Maoists, he said. She has been admitted to Kanker district hospital, he added. Reinforcement has been sent to the area where the search operation is underway, he added.
