Chhattisgarh: At least 18 Maoists including a top Naxal leader Shankar Rao have been gunned down in a joint operation by BSF (Border Security Force) and DRG (District Reserve Guard) on Tuesday in Kanker district. Shankar had a Rs. 25 lakh bounty on his head according to the police officials.

This big operation has thundered the Naxalite area ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

#WATCH | “Bodies of 18 naxals recovered from encounter site in Chhotebethiya of Kanker. 3 jawans were injured in the operation. Search operation underway. This can be seen as one of the biggest anti-naxal operations in the area. The operation was launched after information of the… pic.twitter.com/mI0IuW8KfI

— ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2024

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As per the Kanker SP IK Elesela, the encounter is ongoing in the forest area near Chhotebethiya police station. A gunfight occurred around 2 in Hapatola forest while a joint team of BSF and DRG was conducting an anti-naxal operation. He added that arms like AK47, SLR, and INSAS have been recovered in large quantities.

IG Bastar P Sunddaraj said that in the operation which is still underway, three men from the forces are injured who are now out of danger but have been referred to the higher centre for better treatment. The officer said that the death toll might increase as the operation isn’t over yet and searching by the reinforcement team too is underway.

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Talking about the scale of the operation, the IG added that they succeeded in the last few operations in Chhattisgarh but as of now, it can be seen as the biggest operation in the Bastar area. The operation was launched after information of the presence of senior naxals Shankar, Lalita, Raju, underlined the officer.