2 Naxals gunned down in C'garh, 1 STF jawan injured in blast

Two Naxals were killed and a Special Task Force (STF) jawan was injured at separate places during a joint counter-insurgency operation by security forces in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh on Thursday, policesaid.

The ultras were gunned down in an exchange of fire with security forces in the forest between Morpalli and Timapuram villages in the afternoon, Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P told PTI.

It took place about an hour after an STF jawan was injured in a blast of pressure improvised bomb, planted by Naxals, in the jungles of Morpalli, he added.

The incidents happened when the security forces were returning after conducting the operation, he added.

Separate teams of STF, District Reserve Guard (DRG), CRPF and its elite unit-CoBRA had on Wednesday launched the operation in the forest of Pedda Borkel along Sukma-Bijapur districts border, he said.

"Around 1.30 pm on Thursday, an STF squad was advancing through the jungles of Morpalli when one of its personnel, Mahesh Netam, inadvertently stepped onto the pressure IED connection, triggering the blast. He was injured in the incident," the IGP said.

The injured jawan was subsequently evacuated from the forest and shifted to a local hospital, from where he would be airlifted to Raipur for further medication, he added.

"An hour after the first incident, a gunfight broke out between Naxals and another team of DRG and STF in the forest between Morpalli and Timapuram villages. However, Naxals soon escaped into dense forests on finding security forces zeroing on them," the officer said.

"During the search, bodies of two male Naxals were recovered from the spot along with one muzzle loading weapon, one pistol and huge quantities of explosive materials," he said, adding that further details were awaited.