District Reserve Group jawan killed in Naxal encounter; 2 hurt

A District Reserve Group (DRG) jawan was today killed and two others were injured in a fierce gun-battle with Naxals in the interior forests of Chhattisgarh's Kondagaon district, police said.
The encounter took place while a joint team of DRG and district force was carrying out an anti-Naxal operation in the forests of Mardapal Police Station area, Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range), S R P Kalluri told PTI over phone.
Security forces had been conducting the operation since yesterday based on specific inputs about the movement of ultras in restive Ranapal and Kudur area of Mardapal, located around 350 km from state capital Raipur.

While they were cordoning off a forest pocket close to Kudur village, a group of armed rebels opened indiscriminate fire on them, triggering a heavy exchange of gunfire, he said.
"As per the preliminary information, a DRG jawan was killed and two others were injured in the incident," the IG said, adding that reinforcement was immediately rushed to the spot.
Efforts are on to bring the body of the jawan and the injured personnel from the forests, he added.

According to the IG, the Naxals are unhappy with the construction of a bridge on a river near Kudur that connects Kondagaon to Abhujmarh region (considered a Maoistbastion) and therefore they often target security forces in this area.

The bridge has turned out to be a boon for the people of Abhujmarh, which often gets disconnected from the main road during rains, he said.
DRG is a locally raised force entrusted with the task to tackle Maoists. Its personnel are recruited from among local youth and surrendered Naxals.