2 Naxalites killed in encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh

Two Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Friday, the police said.

The gun battle took place in the morning in a forest of the south-west region of the district, bordering Telangana, when a team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxal operation, a police official said.

After the exchange of fire stopped, the bodies of two Naxalites, weapons, including a .303 rifle, and explosives were recovered from the encounter site, he said. 

The operation is still underway, and more details will be shared once it is over, he added.

On Thursday, ten Naxalites, including Central Committee Member of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) Modem Balakrishna, were killed in an encounter in the state's Gariaband district. Balakrishna carried a reward of Rs 1 crore on his head.

With the latest success, 243 Naxalites have been killed in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh so far this year. Of them, 214 were eliminated in the Bastar division, comprising seven districts, while 27 others were gunned down in Gariaband, which is a part of the Raipur division. Two Naxalites were killed in Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district in Durg division.