C'garh encounter: 15 personnel feared killed

Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh), Aug 29: At least 15 security personnel, including 11 special police officers (SPOs), were feared killed and six severely injured after an encounter with Maoists today near Sarmetla village in Dantewada district's dense forest.

Police said that 11 SPOs -- local youth recruited to assist anti-naxal operations -- three Chhattisgarh Armed Force constables and Jagargunda Police Station Inspector Hemant Mandavi went missing after the encounter around 1500 hrs.

''A team of 40 personnel, including SPOs, encountered the rebels near Sarmetla, a remote village about 60 km from Dornapal,'' Dantewada's Superintendent of Police Rahul Sharma said. However, 25 personnel returned to base.

Additional personnel rushed to Sarmetla on foot as there is no motorable road in the area. A search operation would begin only if the personnel reach before sunset. A helicopter was being pressed into service.

Today's attack was the second major one by ultras over the past two months. In July, the extremists assaulted policemen with light machine guns and mortar bombs in a dense forest of Bastar division, killing 24 personnel.

Insurgents stepped up violence in Bastar division over the past two years, particularly after local tribals launched 'Salwa Judum', an anti-Maoist movement to drive out naxals from the region.

Security personnel, including those belonging to paramilitary forces and SPOs, are the main target of rebels who were also attacking villagers directly or indirectly supporting the movement.

As ultra violence continued, more than 50,000 people deserted their villages and sheltered in state government relief camps.

However, the extremists also attacked several camps. UNI