Cop injured in encounter with Naxalites on Chhattisgarh-Odisha border

Gariaband (Chhattisgarh): A jawan of the Odisha police was injured in an encounter with Naxalites in a forest along the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border on Monday, police said.

The encounter took place in the wee hours in the forest located on the border of Gariaband district (Chhattisgarh) and Odisha when a team of the Odisha police's Special Operation Group (SOG) was out an anti-Naxal operation, a police official said.

The injured jawan, belonging to the SOG, was shifted to Gariaband district hospital where he was administered preliminary treatment and then sent to Raipur (located around 90 km from Gariaband) by road for further medication, the official said.

"The jawan with a bullet injury on the right part of his neck was brought to the hospital. After the first aid, he was immediately referred to Raipur," Dr Harish Chauhan from the Gariaband district hospital told reporters.

The bullet might be stuck in his neck and it will be confirmed after the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) test, Dr Chauhan said, adding that the cop's condition was stable.

The anti-Naxal operation was still underway on the inter-state border, according to police.