Two Maoists killed in encounter with security forces in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district; combing operation underway

Two Maoists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district on Monday. Both killed were female Maoist operatives, and the gunfight took place in Gadchiroli’s Dhanora tehsil, according to reports. A combing operation is underway. In April, 40 Maoists were killed in an encounter with the C-60 squad of the Maharashtra Police and Central Reserve Polce Force (CRPF) in Gadchiroli — considered one of the worst Maoist-affected district in the country. The gunfight ensued after the security forces received an accurate tip-off about a proposed 22 April jungle meeting of around four dozen Maoists and its exact venue. This caught the rebels off guard and gave then little time to strike back. [caption id=“attachment_5501991” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image of Naxals. AFP[/caption] In this operation in Gadchiroli — the biggest in the anti-Maoist war over the past 38 years — at least four prominent insurgent commanders were killed, which dealt a blow to their rebellious activities in the district in Maharashtra. The prominent leaders eliminated in this mission were south region chief Srikant alias Ravtu Vijendra, as well as the commanders of the Aheri, Gatta and Permili “dalams” (Maoist fighter units), including a female chief, a deputy commander and top members of various groups. In 2017, 19 Maoists were killed in encounters in Gadchiroli, reported The Indian Express. Over the last few weeks, Chhattisgarh saw multiple Maoist attacks ahead of the first phase of the Assembly elections on 12 November. On 14 November, five security personnel, including four Border Security Force (BSF) jawans, and a civilian were injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast detonated by Maoists in Bijapur district.