Sukma: Two jawans of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) were injured in an exchange of fire with Naxals in Chhattisgarh’s insurgency-hit Sukma district on Sunday, a senior official said. The skirmish took place in the morning in a forest near Chichorguda village under Kerlapal police station limits when a team of the state’s anti-Naxal force DRG was patrolling to ensure security to a road construction work, Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P said.
The road is being constructed between Chichorguda and Nilawaya villages, considered as a Maoist stronghold. When the patrolling team was cordoning off the forest area near Chichorguja, located about 450 km from the state capital Raipur, it came under fire from a group of Maoists, leading to the gunfight, he said.
“DRG constable Somdu Ram Pyam and assistant constable Mehru Ram Kashyap suffered injuries in the gunfight,” he said. After being alerted, additional security personnel were rushed to the spot, the official said, adding that a search operation was underway in the area. The injured jawans were shifted to Sukma district hospital and their condition was said to be stable, he said. During the search, traces of bloodstains were also seen at the spot. Police claim that many Naxalites have also been shot in this encounter.