Chhattisgarh: Encounter between security personnel and Naxalites in Dantewada

A gun-battle took place between security personnel and Naxalites in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on Tuesday, police said.

Several Naxalites were possibly injured though no injured persons or bodies were found at the site, an official said.

The incident took place on the same day when three CRPF personnel were killed and 15 others injured in another skirmish with the Naxalites on the borders of Sukma and Bijapur districts in the state.

Acting on a tip-off about the presence of members of the Bhairamgarh and Indravati `area committees' of Maoists in villages along the border of Dantewada-Bijapur districts, a joint team of security forces launched a search operation in the area, the official said.

Personnel of the District Reserve Guard and Bastar Fighters -- both units of state police -- and the CRPF's 230th battalion were involved in the operation, he said.

When the team was cordoning off the area, Naxalites opened fire and also fired BGLs (barrel grenade launchers).

After a brief exchange of fire, Naxalites fled the scene. Several Naxalites might have been injured in the gunfight, the official said.

On the way back from the operation, the security personnel dismantled three Naxalite memorials and recovered a `cooker' bomb planted in the forest, he said.