Police raid Naxal camp, kill 15 rebels in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district

Militia commander Deva nabbed, 16 weapons seized in 2-hr gun battle; Naxalites killed were from backbone group Jan Militia

In a significant breakthrough in the on-going operations against Left Wing Extremism (LWE), security forces raided a camp and killed 15 Naxalites in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district Monday morning.

A hardcore Naxalite identified as Militia commander Deva was nabbed from the spot. Security agencies anticipate vital inputs from him during interrogation.

“Based on intelligence inputs, the operation was meticulously planned and two special teams of security personnel sneaked into the forest from different directions last evening,” Special Director General (anti-naxal operations) D M Awasthi said. They stormed the camp today morning, he added.

The security personnel who carried out the operation were drawn from Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), its elite unit Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) besides District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Special Task Force (STF) of Chhattisgarh police.

The camp was located in the densely forested Nalkatong village, about 500 km from Raipur, in Sukma district, which is infamous across the globe for deadly Naxal violence. The area had been the “liberated zone” of the rebels and they had never anticipated that security forces would reach their den.

Awasthi said the fierce gun battle lasted for more than two hours in which security personnel eliminated 15 Naxalites. All the bodies have been recovered while identification was going on, he said, adding Militia platoon commander Vanjam Hunga was among the killed. Security forces recovered 16 weapons, including 315-bore and 12-bore guns.

“The operation was significant as the Naxalites killed belonged to the Jan Militia---the backbone of the outlaws,” D Ravi Shankar, superintendent of police (special intelligence bureau) said. Besides being a defending party of higher cadre, the Jan Militia members were involved in publicity, logistic support and other crucial assignment of Naxalites, he added.

The guns recovered were regular weapons, which underlines that the killed Naxalites were key cadre members, Ravi Shankar said.

Raids on rebels
 

• Major operations against Naxalites in Central India this year
• April 22: 37 Naxalites killed in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district.
• April 27: 8 Naxalites killed in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district.
• July 19: 8 Naxalites including 6 women killed in Bijapur district