Two cops injured in encounter with Naxals in Chhattisgarh

Two District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel were injured in an encounter with Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district, the police said today.

The face-off took place last night in a forest near Tamora village when a team of DRG was conducting a search operation along the border of Kanker and Narayanpur districts, a senior police official told PTI.

The DRG squad had received a tip-off following which it launched the operation in the forest last evening, he said.

When the patrolling team was cordoning off the forest area near Tamora, a gun-battle took place between the security personnel and ultras, the official said.

After a prolonged exchange of fire, the rebels fled into the core forest area, he said.

"Sub-Inspector Sukku Ram Nureti and head constable Pareshwar Gawde of the DRG sustained injuries in the gunfight," the official said.

Reinforcement was rushed to the spot and the injured personnel were airlifted to Raipur for treatment, he said.

The official said that as per the ground report, two to three Naxals were killed in the gunfight but their colleagues managed to drag the bodies inside the core forest.

During the search, several Naxal related items, including bags, were recovered from spot, he said.

Further details are awaited as the search operation was still underway in the region, he added.