2 Naxalites killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh, explosive items seized

Two Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district on Monday, police said.

A large quantity of explosive material and some weapons were seized from the encounter site, they said.

The gun battle broke out in the morning at a forest in Abhujmaad, adjoining Maharashtra, when a team of security forces was out on a search operation, a police official here said.

The operation was launched based on inputs about the presence of Naxalites in the area, he said.

"So far, the bodies of two male Naxalites have been recovered from the spot. The intermittent exchange of fire and search operation is still underway in the area," he said.

An AK-47 rifle, along with other weapons, a large quantity of explosive material, Maoist literature, propaganda materials, and daily use items were also recovered from the encounter site, the official said.

With the latest action, 249 Naxalites have been killed in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh so far this year.

Of them, 220 were eliminated in the Bastar division, comprising seven districts, while 27 others were gunned down in Gariaband district, which falls in Raipur division. Two other Naxalites were killed in Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district in Durg division.

On September 11, ten Naxalites, including central committee member of the outlawed CPI (Maoist), Modem Balakrishna, were killed in an encounter in the state's Gariaband district, according to police.