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A day after seven alleged Maoists were killed in an encounter in Bastar district, senior police officials said that three of the bodies have been identified so far, and have confirmed that the group that was camped in the Tiriya forests included senior members of the party. Meanwhile, senior police officials said that there were two more exchanges of fire in Bastar on Sunday, one in Narayanpur and the other in Dantewada, where no injuries or fatalities were reported.
P Sundar Raj, DIG, Anti Naxal Operations said that three of the bodies identified were important personnel of the Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee. “So far three naxal cadres have been identified. They are area committee member Sitta, a resident of Chintagoopi village in Vishakhpatnam who was a member of the AOBSZC supply team. Somulu, who is likely from Bijapur district was also a member of the supply team and Shanthi who was a member of the AOBSZC military platoon,” he said.
Senior police officials said further enquiries in the area have revealed the presence of senior cadre. “When the Maoists flee, they tend to protect their senior cadre. Of the group of fifty that were at the spot of the encounter, there were some senior members of the AOBSZC, perhaps even members of the zonal committee itself,” a senior officer said.
In Narayanpur, security forces of the DRG, CAF and police personnel from the Orccha police station responded to intelligence inputs of 40 to 50 Maoists near Raynar. “However, the Maoists had laid put an L type ambush with multiple IED’s to cause maximum damage. The alert forces, however, realised this and engaged the Maoists who then exploded 2 of the IED’s following which there was an exchange of fire.
They escaped because of the terrain and the heavy rain. Because of the awareness of the forces and their tactical advance, a big incident was averted,” a senior police officer said.
Meanwhile in the Marjum forests of Katekalyan in Dantewada district, a police team exchanged fire with a group of Maoists after an intelligence input. While camping material has been recovered, and the police believe that Maoists may have suffered gunshot injuries, no dead bodies were recovered or arrests made.
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