Two Naxals killed, three jawans injured

Bhopal: Three jawans were on Friday injured and two Maoists including gunwoman of hardcore Naxal Papa Rao killed in two separate encounters in insurgency-hit south Bastar in Chhattisgarh.

A senior police officer posted in Bastar told this newspaper that Papa Rao, who was said to be mastermind of several major operations against security forces in Bastar in the past one decade including 2010 massacre of 76 CRPF personnel in Dantewada district, had managed to escape after a search party of special task force (STF) cordoned off his team at Ampuram in Bijapur district bordering Telangana, leading to a fierce encounter between them.

“A search party of STF raided a Naxal camp in Ampuram, a village bordering Telangan, following intelligence inputs on presence of Papa Rao along with his team there.

The STF party cordoned off the Maoist camp leading to a heavy exchange of fire that lasted nearly two hours. Later, body of a woman Naxal identified as gunwoman of Papa Rao, was recovered at the encounter site.

However, Papa Rao managed to escape with help of his members”, the police officer said.

Papa Rao, is known to be a key military strategist functioning under Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee of CPI (Maoist).

In another incident, three jawans of district reserve force (DRG) were injured in the landmine explosion triggered by Maoists in Gonguda jungle in south Bastar district of Sukma. An encounter ensued between them.

Later, security forces recovered body of a Naxal at the encounter site.