Ten Maoists, including a top operative of the outlawed movement carrying a reward of Rs 1 crore on his head, were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh's Gariaband district on Thursday, police said.
Modem Balakrishna, a Central Committee Member (CCM) of the proscribed Communist Party of India (Maoist), is among the deceased, an official said.
Balakrishna, also known by his aliases Manoj, Balanna, Ramachander and Bhaskar, was secretary of the Maoists' Odisha State Committee (OSC) and had joined the movement in early 1980s.
Union home minister Amit Shah hailed the security forces for the achievement and said the complete elimination of Naxalism is certain before March 31 next year.
The gunfight broke out in the forest under Mainpur police station limits when security personnel were out on an anti-Naxalite operation, Raipur Range Inspector General of Police Amresh Mishra told PTI.
"Personnel belonging to Special Task Force (STF - a unit of the Chhattisgarh police), E-30 (a unit of the district police), CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action - an elite unit of the CRPF) and other state police units are involved in the operation. Intermittent exchange of fire is still underway," the IGP said.
"Ten Naxalites, including senior cadres, have been gunned down so far. Further details are awaited as the operation is still underway," he added.
Police said the operation was launched based on the inputs about the movement of top Naxalites in the area, located more than 180 kilometres from state capital Raipur.
In a post on 'X', Shah said, "Security forces have achieved another major success against Naxalites today. In Chhattisgarh, CRPF's Cobra Commando, Chhattisgarh Police and DRG conducted a joint operation and killed 10 notorious Naxalites including CCM Modem Balakrishna alias Manoj, who had a bounty of Rs 1 crore on his head." The remaining Naxalites should also surrender in time, Shah said in the post while asserting that complete elimination of red terror is certain before the upcoming March 31.
With the latest action, 241 Naxalites have been killed in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh so far this year.
Of them, 212 were eliminated in the Bastar division, comprising seven districts, while 27 were gunned down in Gariaband district, which is part of Raipur division. Two other Naxalites were killed in Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district in Durg division, as per police.
In January this year, 16 Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces in the same Mainpur area of Gariaband, including Chalpathi alias Jairam, a member of central committee and Odisha state committee of the Maoists.
Last year, 219 Naxalites were neutralised by security forces in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh.
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