Chhattisgarh: 2 security personnel killed, 6 injured in gunbattle with Naxals

Two security personnel were killed and six others injured in a gunbattle with the Naxals in Chhatisgarh's Sukma region on Sunday.

The encounter took place in a forest under the Bhejji police station when a joint team of the Special Task Force (STF), District Reserve Guard (DRG) and local police was out on an "area-domination operation", said a PTI report quoting an official.

"Encounter went on for around 5 hrs in Sukma's Bheji. It started at 11am & concluded half an hour ago. Heavy firing took place from both sides. One STF & one DRG soldiers were martyred. Six DRG soldiers have been injured," DM Awasthi, Special DG, anti-Naxal operations, told news agency ANI.

As the team was passing through the forest between Bhejji and Elarmadgu, around 500 km from state capital Raipur, it came under heavy firing from the ultras, leading to the gun-battle, the DIG said. The exchange of fire lasted for over two hours, Deputy Inspector General of Police (South Bastar range) Sundarraj P told PTI.

Reinforcement was rushed to the spot and the injured personnel as well as the bodies of the slain jawans were brought to Bhejji. The injured jawans were being airlifted to Raipur, the DIG added. In another incident along the stretch between Bhejji and Elarmadgu, where a road construction project is underway, the Naxals killed Anil Kumar, the supervisor of the private contractor, and set vehicles engaged in the road construction work ablaze, Sundarraj said.

OneIndia News with PTI inputs