Bhagalpur, Feb. 28: Trashing allegations of JD (U) MLA from Dhuraiya Assembly seat and the Naxalites, Banka police has said the gunbattle in which six Maoists were killed on Saturday, was not a fake encounter.

A Banka police source, denying such allegations against the police, said: “It was a genuine encounter. The police were left with no option after the Rebels opened fire. There were more than 600 rounds of fire exchanged between the police and the Rebels in a gunbattle that lasted for more than seven hours.”

Sources claimed all persons killed in the encounter were hardcore guerillas of the armed squad. The sources denied the claim of a teenager being killed in the encounter and said the victim, a hardcore Naxalite, was aged between 22 and 24.

“On February 27, during a search operation, the police recovered arms and ammunition that was buried inside the house of Sukhlal Hansdak at the village, where the Naxalites had taken shelter earlier. If they were innocent, what was the need to hide such a huge cache of arms including handgrenades made in China?” a police officer said.

Manish Kumar, the MLA of the ruling party from the Dhuraiya Assembly seat, besides condemning the police action, had demanded a high-level inquiry into the incident. Manjhidih residents have echoed a similar view.

“The police should not have been so brutal. They should have given a chance to the Naxalites to surrender,” he told The Telegraph over phone. Kumar feared, the incident could spark further tension in the area,” said Mahish.