Police gun down seven Naxals including women in encounter at Gadchiroli

Nagpur: In the biggest operation this year, a team of C-60 of Gadchiroli police struck early Wednesday, killing seven Naxalites including five women in the Kolladu forests of Sironcha taluka, south of Gadchiroli district. The naxalites were eliminated by Gadchiroli district police's specialised force of C-60 commando unit at Kolladu village around 60km away from Sironcha in eastern Vidarbha.

The rebels suffered a serious setback in this operation even as Naxalites observe a week of the "People's Liberation Guerilla Army" where they aim to take their propaganda to the masses and motivate them to join their movement.

Union home minister Raj Nath Singh congratulated Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on the success of the operation. Mr Fadnavis, in turn, complimented the Gadchiroli police, said sources.

The Naxalites, part of the Sironcha platoon, were camping at the village for the last few days. Senior police officials termed the operation successful, and claimed to have "wiped out the entire Sironcha outfit".

DIG, Naxal range (comprising Gadchiroli and Gondia), Ankush Shinde, said that an input was received upon which the operation had been planned under supervision of senior officials. "We are in the process of identifying bodies of Naxalites who were gunned down by security forces in the fire exchange," said Mr Shinde. He added there was a possibility of a senior cadre being put down in the gun battle.

Sources in the police also underlined the fact that a couple of Naxalites had managed to flee into the forest during firing. The police has recovered some weapons from the place apart from Naxal literature and belongings.

The identities of the deceased Naxaliltes are being established. Their dead bodies were brought to district headquarters late afternoon for post-mortem.