One killed in Police encounter

Bangalore, July 17 (UNI) One person was killed in an encounter between police and naxalites of CPI(Maoists) group near Hyamana village in Chikmagalur district tonight.

According to initial reports reaching here, during joint combing operation by Anti-Naxal force, Civil Striking Force and District Police came across a group of naxals in the Chikmgalur-Shimoga border, about 225 km from here. The encounter had continued till the last reports came in.

The gunshots was so intense that it was heard at nearby hamlets in the thick forest area which was experiencing heavy rain. The identity of the dead was not known yet.

The encounter took place even as the meeting of Ministers, Legislators and officials was held in the evening by the state government in the Vidhana Soudha, the State Secretariat in the evening.

Earlier in the morning, a group of six suspected naxalites visited the house of Bharatiya Janata Party Koppa Taluk President Ranganath and asked him to desist from BJP and support a bandh call given on July 19 in Sringeri in protest against a 'fake encounter' in which five people, including one of their leader was killed on July 10.

UNI