Naxal-affected Gadchiroli witnesses IED blasts at two places on polling day

An encounter took place between security forces and Naxals in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra when a polling party was returning Thursday evening, police said. The Naxal-affected district also witnessed IED blasts at two other places since morning.

The skirmish took place at Tumdikasa near Murumgaon Area Operation Post of state police around 4 pm when a team of election officials, CRPF and police was returning, after the voting was over, on foot, an official said. Before the polling party could reach the police post, a group of Naxals opened fire, and CRPF and police personnel retaliated, he said. The Naxals fled after some time, and no casualties were reported. Gadchiroli-Chimur was among the seven Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra where polling took place Thursday.