Mandla (Madhya Pradesh), March 9 (IANS) One Maoist was killed in an operation launched by Hawk Force and state police in Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh on Sunday while the operation is still going as “firing continues” from both sides.
Confirming the report, Rajat Saklecha, Superintendent of Police told IANS over the phone from the site, that the Hawk force moved into a dense forest area bordering Kanha National Park and Balaghat following a tip-off on Sunday morning. There were 15-20 Maoists.
“A male Maoist was killed in the encounter but we have yet to identify him as firing continues from both sides.” On the identity of the Maoist, he said that intense retaliatory firing from the Naxal side was going on, causing the police forces to cautiously approach the deceased Naxalite’s body.
The encounter began on Sunday afternoon at Chimta Forest Camp, located on the Mandla-Balaghat border. The operation extended into the late evening, the police officer said.
Another police officer told IANS that the dead body of the Maoist is visible from a distance, and the search operation by the Hawk force continues even after nightfall. The entire area has been cordoned off due to the potential presence of more Maoists.
Further details revealed that while the Hawk Force team was conducting a search in the Khatiya forest area, a group of Maoists opened fire on them. The Hawk force team retaliated, leading to several rounds of gunfire from both sides. There is a possibility that other Maoists were injured in the encounter, and they have fled into the forests, with Hawk Force soldiers in pursuit, the officer said.
Maoists have been active in the forests of Mandla district for a long time, often carrying out small incidents before fleeing. Encounters between the police and Maoists have occurred previously in the district.
A battalion of CRPF (Central Reserve Police Forces) has been deployed in the Mandla district for several years, bolstering the operations of the district and Hawk Force, which are now more capable of taking instant action.
In a previous encounter near Lalpur village of Motinala police station in the district, the police killed two Maoists, including a female Maoist, and recovered weapons from the scene. Both Maoists were members of the Kanha Bhoramdev Bodla Committee. The ongoing operation is a part of the Union government’s drive to end Naxalism by March 2026.
–IANS
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