Top Naxal leader carrying Rs 40 lakh bounty killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh
A top Naxal leader carrying a bounty of Rs40 lakh was killed in an encounter with security forces on Thursday in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district. The operation took place in the National Park area, where intelligence inputs had indicated the presence of senior Naxal cadres.Acting on the information, a joint team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Special Task Force (STF) launched a coordinated operation in the forested region. An exchange of fire ensued between the joint forces and the Naxals, continuing from the early hours of the morning.advertisementDuring the encounter, Central Committee member Sudhakar, one of the most wanted Naxal leaders, was gunned down. He was carrying a reward of Rs 40 lakh on his head.
Sudhakar's death comes close on the heels of the killing of Nambala Keshav Rao, also known as Basavaraju, who was killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh in May. He was among 30 Naxals neutralised in a joint operation led by the District Reserve Guard (DRG) in the dense Abujhmad forests - a Naxal stronghold.Nambala Keshav Rao, the general secretary of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), has been part of the Naxalite movement since the late 1970s and was one of its most feared strategists. He carried a bounty of Rs 1.5 crore and was wanted in connection with several deadly attacks on security forces across multiple states.advertisementUnion Home Minister Amit Shah called the operation "a landmark achievement in the battle to eliminate Naxalism". He called Nambala Keshav Rao the "backbone of the Naxal movement", adding that it was the "first time in three decades of Bharat's battle against Naxalism that a general secretary-ranked leader has been neutralised by our forces".Notably, 16 Naxalites, including six carrying a collective cash reward of Rs 25 lakh, surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Monday, police said.All 16 cadres, including a woman, turned themselves in before senior police and CRPF officials, citing disappointment with the "hollow" and "inhuman" Maoist ideology and atrocities by ultras on local tribals, Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan said.Tune InTrending Reel
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