Chhattisgarh: DRG jawan killed in encounter with Naxals in Narayanpur

A District Reserve Guard (DRG) head constable was killed in an encounter with Naxals in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Narayanpur district on Wednesday, police said.

The skirmish took place around 8.15 am at a forest in the Tulargufa-Mungari area under Chhotedongar police station limits when a joint team of various security forces was out on a search operation, Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P told PTI.

The joint squad of personnel, belonging to the DRG and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), had launched the operation along the Palli-Barsur axis on the Narayanpur-Dantewada inter-district border on Tuesday, he said.

When a patrolling team of the DRG was cordoning off forests between Tulargufa and Mungari on Wednesday morning, it came under heavy fire from a group of ultras, leading to the gun battle, he said.

“DRG head constable Salik Ram Markam (37) suffered bullet injuries in the face-off and later died,” the official said.

The exchange of fire later stopped and reinforcement was sent to the spot, he said.

The Bastar region, comprising seven districts including Narayanpur, has witnessed several deadly attacks on security forces in the past, particularly during the summer season when rebels carry out the annual 'tactical counter-offensive campaign' (TCOC) and step up their offensive activities. Security forces are always put on alert during this period.

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