Representative image of Naxalites.
Credit: Reuters File Photo
Dhamtari: A Naxalite was gunned down by security forces in Chhattisgarh's Dhamtari district on Sunday, a police official said.
A gun battle broke out at 3:30 pm in a forest near Muhkot-Aamjhar villages under Khallari police station limits when a District Reserve Guard (DRG) team under Dhamtari Superintendent of Police Anjneya Varshney was out on an anti-Naxalite operation, the official said.
"The exchange of fire started while the patrolling team was cordoning off Muhkot-Aamjhar forest. Naxalites escaped into the forest after funding security forces encircling them. A search of the area led to the discovery of the body of a Naxalite as well as a self-loading rifle (SLR), Maoist literature and items of daily use," SP Varshney told PTI over phone.
The identity of the slain ultra has not been ascertained, he said, adding the search operation in the area will resume on Monday morning.
With Sunday's incident, 133 Naxalites have been killed this year in separate encounters with security forces in Chhattisgarh.
Of these, 131 Maoists were gunned down in Bastar division, comprising seven districts, while two ultras were neutralised in Dhamtari district, which is part of Raipur division. On May 11, a Naxalite was killed in an encounter in Dhamtari district.