Woman cadre carrying Rs 8 lakh reward among two Naxalites killed in Chhattisgarh encounter

Bijapur (Chhattisgarh): Two Naxalites, including a woman cadre involved in over a dozen murders and carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh, were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Wednesday, police said.

The gunfight took place in the forest of Koranjed-Bandepara villages under Madded police station limits when a team of District Reserve Guard (DRG) was out on an anti-Naxal operation, Bijapur Superintendent of Police Jitendra Yadav said.

The operation was launched on May 27 based on inputs about the presence of Maoists' Madded area committee member Buchanna and other senior cadres along with 15-20 armed Naxalites in the interiors of Madded, located more than 450 km from the capital Raipur, he said.

An exchange of fire broke out between the patrolling team and Naxalites between 7 am and 8 am, he said.

After the encounter, the bodies of two Naxalites, one 7.66 mm pistol, one 12-bore single short gun, two tiffin bombs, 12 gelatin sticks, codex wire, safety fuses, Rs 30,000 in cash, one wireless set, Maoist uniform, medicines, Maoist literature and items of daily use were recovered from the spot, he said.

Of the killed Naxalites, the woman was identified as Manila Punem (36), who was active as a member of the Madded area committee, he said.

She had been associated with the outlawed CPI (Maoist) since 2006 and was allegedly involved in more than a dozen murders, attempts to murder, abduction, loot, and other crimes, Yadav said, adding that she was carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh.

The other neutralised cadre was identified as Manglu Kudiam (40), who was active as a militia platoon commander in the Madded area committee of the outlawed organisation and carried a reward of Rs 1 lakh, he said.

Kudiam was allegedly involved in multiple Naxalite incidents, including the 2007 Dantewada jailbreak, he said.

With this incident, 118 Naxalites have been killed so far this year in separate encounters with security forces in the state.

On May 23, seven Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security personnel in a forest on Narayanpur-Bijapur inter-district border.

On May 10, security forces gunned down 12 Naxalites in Bijapur district.

Ten Naxalites, including three women, were killed in a gunbattle with security personnel in a forest along the border of Narayanpur and Kanker districts on April 30. Before that, 29 Naxalites were killed in an exchange of fire with security forces in Kanker district on April 16, according to police.