Forces gun down Naxal wanted in killings of BJP MLA and four cops in Chhattisgarh

A Naxal, allegedly involved in the killings of BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi and four policemen in April, was gunned down in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Friday, police said.

He was carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head, they said.

The encounter broke out around 10 am in the forest of Misse Dabba in the Tongpal police station area in Sukma when a team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) from Dantewada was carrying out an anti-Naxal operation, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pallava told PTI.

Security forces had launched the operation two days ago along the border of Dantewada and Sukma districts.

When the DRG team was cordoning off Misse Dabba, located around 450km from the state capital Raipur, an encounter broke out with Naxals, he said.

After a brief exchange of fire, the Left-wing extremists escaped, Pallava added.

During a search at the site, the body of an ultra, identified as Hurra, a member of the Katekalyan Area Committee of Maoists, was recovered, along with a .303 rifle, Pallava said.

"Blood stains were found at the spot indicating some more ultras might have been injured or killed in the gun-battle," he said.

Further details are awaited as the search operation was still underway in the area, Pallava added.

Hurra, carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head, was wanted for the killings of Mandavi and four security personnel, the SP said.

All five were killed when the vehicle in which they were travelling was blown up by Naxals using an improvised explosive device near Shyamgiri village in Dantewada district on April 9 this year.