Jharkhand senior anti-Naxalite force officer killed in encounter; one ultra gunned down


PTI | Latehar/Ranchi | Updated: 28-09-2021 21:13 IST | Created: 28-09-2021 21:13 IST
Jharkhand senior anti-Naxalite force officer killed in encounter; one ultra gunned down
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A 41-year-old deputy commandant rank official of Jharkhand Jaguar, an anti-Naxalite force of the state police, was killed in an encounter with extremists in Latehar district on Tuesday, a senior official said.

An ultra of the banned Naxalite outfit, Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP), was also gunned down in the encounter which took place inside Salayya forest while his associates managed to flee, IG (Operations) and Jharkhand Police spokesperson AV Homkar said.

''Deputy Commandant and Assault Commander of Jharkhand Jaguar Rajesh Kumar was injured during an encounter with extremists at Latehar forests. He was airlifted to Ranchi but did not survive,'' Homkar told PTI.

Several weapons including an AK-47 rifle were recovered from the encounter site, he said.

A search operation is on to track the JJMP ultras who escaped from the spot taking advantage of the dense forest, he added.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said the state has lost the deputy commandant during a search operation.

''May God give peace to the soul of the brave martyr and give strength to the bereaved family to bear the grief,'' Soren said in a tweet.

Latehar Superintendent of Police Anjani Anjan said a fierce exchange took place between security forces and the extremists.

When the Jaguar team went near the spot where the JJMP members were, the ultras started firing injuring Deputy Commandant Kumar. The police personnel also returned the fire killing one of the Naxalites.

Kumar was brought in a helicopter to a Ranchi hospital but he did not survive.

At a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on 'Left Wing Extremism (LWE) and related issues on both security and development' on Sunday, Chief Minister Soren had sought extension of the Special Central Assistance fund for LWE affected districts in the state.

''The problem of Left Wing Extremism is a big challenge for both the central and the state governments. As much as the responsibility of ending it is on the state government, the responsibility lies with the central government as well,'' Soren had said at the meeting.

He had also urged the Centre to write off a bill of Rs 10,000 crore raised by the Ministry of Home Affairs for deployment of central security forces in Jharkhand.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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