DRG jawan killed, 3 injured in gun-battle with Naxals

Raipur, Sep 21 A District Reserve Group (DRG) jawan was today killed and three others were injured, two of them critically, in a gun-battle with the Naxals in the interior forests of Chhattisgarh's Kondagaon district, police said.

The encounter took place in the afternoon when a joint team of DRG and district police was carrying out an anti-Naxal operation in the forests in Mardapal police station area, IG (Bastar Range) SRP Kalluri told PTI.

Security forces were conducting the operation since yesterday, based on specific inputs about the movement of ultras in the restive Ranapal and Kudur areas of Mardapal, located around 350 km from the state capital of Raipur.

While they were cordoning off a forest pocket close to Kudur village, a group of Naxals opened fire at them, leading to a fierce gun-battle, he said.

"DRG constable Ramprasad Netam was killed and three other security personnel were injured," the IG said, adding that reinforcement was rushed to the spot.

Those injured were identified as Bal Singh Mandavi, Chandan Yadav and Harish Chand Mandavi, all DRG constables.

They were airlifted to Raipur for treatment. A police officer at Kondagaon said of the injured, the condition of two was "critical".

IG Kalluri said the Naxals were unhappy over the successful construction of a bridge on a river near Kudur, connecting Kondagaon to the Abhujmarh region (considered a Maoist bastion), and therefore, they often targeted the security forces in this area.

The bridge turned out to be a boon for the people of Abhujmarh, which often gets disconnected from the main road during rains, he said.

DRG is a locally raised anti-Naxal force, recruited from among the local youth and surrendered Naxals.

PTI