1 policeman killed, 3 injured in Maoist encounter in Chhattisgarh

A specially trained policeman was killed and three others injured in an encounter with Maoists close to Mardapal village in Kondagaon district, about 250 km south of Raipur on Wednesday.

Acting on a tip-off about the location of Maoist cadres, a joint team of the district police force and the specially trained District Reserve Gaurds (DRG) of Chhattisgarh police launched a search operation in the region.

“The Maoists opened fire on DRG who swiftly returned the attack. In an ensuing fierce encounter that continued for over an hour, we lost a jawan. More information is awaited. Arrangements are being made to air-lift the three seriously injured personnel to Raipur for immediate medical attention”, the superintendent of police, State Intelligence Branch (SIB) P Sunderraj told Hindustan Times.

“How much damage was inflicted on the rebels will be known once the forces return,” the officer said.

The Maoists are believed to be present in at least 16 out of the 27 districts of the state, but are the most active in south Chhattisgarh’s Bastar having predominant poor tribal population. They have been waging a war on government and security forces for over three decades.