Chhattisgarh: Women commandos played key role in Abujhmad encounter
This was the fourth major counterinsurgency operation carried out in Abujhmad area of south Bastar in the last 45 days and second in the last one week
Raipur: Women commandos of counterinsurgency wings of Chhattisgarh police played a key role in Saturday’s anti-Naxal operation in Kodtameta jungle in Narayanpur district under south Bastar in Chhattisgarh in which eight Maoists including four female cadres were killed, police said.
The women commandos of district reserve guard (DRG) and Bastar Fighters (BF), two specialised counterinsurgency wings of Chhattisgarh police, ‘played a special role’ in the Kodtameta anti-Naxal operation, Bastar range inspector general of police P Sunderraj told this newspaper on Sunday.
Kodtameta forest area falls under Abujhmad, nestled between south Bastar in Chhattisgarh and Gadchiroli in Maharashtra.
This was the first time, security forces achieved major success in the counterinsurgency operation in Abujhmad, a Maoist stronghold, with the deployment of women commandos in the combat role, a senior police officer said.
Of the eight slain Maoists, six have been identified as senior Maoist cadres carrying Rs eight lakh bounty each.
Two others were yet to be identified.
While a jawan of special task force (STF) was killed, two others were injured in the incident.
Security forces recovered one INSAS assault rifle, two 303 rifles, three 315 bore rifles, one Barrel Grenade Launcher (BGL) and a huge quantity of explosives at the encounter site.
This was the fourth major counterinsurgency operation carried out in Abujhmad area of south Bastar in the last 45 days and second in the last one week.
The four major counterinsurgency operations were carried out in eastern, northern and southern parts of Abhujmad, said to be used as safe haven by top Maoist leaders.
As many as 131 Maoists were gunned down in Bastar in the current year so far.