A woman Naxal was killed in an encounter with security forces in the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra today as the Naxals started their annual martyrs' week, police said.
The rebels observe the martyrs' week from July 28 to August 3 in the memory of their slain comrades.
The ultras have put up banners and posters in some places, appealing the people to participate in the martyrs' week. The district borders on Chhattisgarh.
A police release said that an unidentified woman Naxal was killed in an encounter in the forest near Bhimpur village under the jurisdiction of Pendhri police station this morning.
There was an exchange of fire between the state police's C-60 commandos and the Quick Response Team jawans and the Naxals in which a woman Naxal was killed, it said.
She had not been identified yet, it added.
A rifle, 25 backpacks, five tents and Naxal literature were found on the spot.
Meanwhile, the buses of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) have stopped plying in remote areas of the district, fearing increased violence by the Naxals during the week.
Pavan Wasamwar, the chief of MSRTC bus stand here, said buses were not plying in Bhamragad, Sironcha, Korchi, Malewada, Manpur, Rangi, Etapalli, Angara, Vikaspalli, etc.
The services would be closed in these areas till August 3. Private operators too have stopped services there, he said.
