Three policemen were killed and two were injured in a day-long gun battle between the police and the Naxals in Gadchiroli on Friday. Two Naxals were also killed in the incident and four reportedly arrested by the police.
The local police along with the Central Reserve Police Force and Cobra Battalion had launched a combing operation against the Naxals early on Friday morning. At Vanarkui village, around 30 kilometres from the town in Gadchiroli, the police ambushed the Naxals who were hiding in the jungle. At around 10 am, the Naxals opened fire at the police and the crossfire continued till late in the afternoon.
Officers M. Kore and Yasir Khan of C-60 were killed in the encounter. Constable Devangan Pardesi from the zila police was also killed in the incident. Officers S. Chandnath and A. Pawar of the CRPF were seriously injured in the firing and were admitted to hospital. “We were not able to contact our men on a regular basis as there is no range in the jungles. We spoke to our officers on SAT phones and they told us that the operation was on till late in the evening,” said Viresh Prabhu, superintendent of police, Gadchiroli.
According to Mr Prabhu, two Naxals were killed in the incident. “The Naxals had taken the shield of the civilians and were firing from behind them,” he said.
Another officer said that additional forces were also sent in the jungles to help the existing force. “So far, we do not have the exact number of Naxals killed in the incident. Many a times, Naxals also flee with the bodies of their men. But our men could spot a lot of blood in the area and we suspect that a few of them must have been killed in the firing,” he said. Another officer said that they had intensified
operations in the nearby jungles to look for the Naxals who managed to escape. “We have formed additional teams and have dispatched them in different groups to bust Naxal hideouts in the area,” the officer said.