At least 16 Maoists killed, 2 jawans injured in encounter in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma; operation under way | India News

NEW DELHI: At least 16 Maoists were killed in an encounter with the security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district on Saturday. Two jawans sustained minor injuries.
The operation is under way in the forest of Upampalli Kerlapal area at the Sukma-Dantewada border, Superintendent of Police, Sukma, Kiran Chavan informed.
A joint anti-Maoist operation by the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) led to an exchange of fire on Friday. Officials said that the operation was launched based on specific intelligence about Naxal presence in the Kerlapal area under Sukma police station limits.
The joint security team launched a search operation on March 28, with intermittent gunfire continuing since the early hours of March 29. Meanwhile, security forces are conducting a thorough search of the encounter site and the surrounding forested area.
Sukma, one of the worst-affected districts in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region, has witnessed numerous Maoist attacks in the past. Meanwhile, in a separate incident on Friday, a jawan was injured and hospitalized after an improvised explosive Device (IED) planted by Maoists exploded in Narayanpur district.