Naxals kill 2 BSF men in Chhattisgarh encounter

Two Border Security Force jawans were killed on Saturday while four others injured in an encounter with the Naxals in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district.

The encounter broke out early on Saturday between a BSF patrol and armed Naxal cadres near the Chhotebethiya-Pakhanjore jungle axis of the Maoist violence-hit district, officials said.

“While two jawans have been martyred in the exchange of fire, four others have been injured,” they said.

The confrontation took place at around 2.30 am when a composite squad of the BSF and district force was on a special operation in the interior forests of Bande police station area of the district, Kanker Deputy Superintendent of Police Jayant Vaishnav said over phone.

A joint squad of BSF’s 117th and 122nd battalion along with district force had launched the anti-Naxal operation from Chhotebethiya camp of the BSF in Pakhanjore region – located around 300 km away from the state capital, the DSP said.

When the security forces reached near a river in the dense forest of Becha village, Naxals opened indiscriminate fire on them leaving the six jawans injured, the DSP said, adding two of them succumbed to injuries.

The encounter lasted for an hour and later the Naxals fled into the dense forests, he added.

Additional forces have been sent to the area, he said.

The attack came a day after a Central Reserve Police Force jawan was killed and four others, including two deputy commandants, were injured in an integrated explosive device blast in Naxal-hit Sukma district.

According to police, the Naxals have put up posters calling for a one-day Bastar-bandh on Saturday in protest against the alleged fake encounter and surrender of tribals in the region.

Image used for representational purpose only.