Silence hangs over the hillocks adjoining Hidur and Kalpar villages in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district where 29 Maoists were gunned down by security forces in an encounter.
Hours after the biggest encounter ever in the state ended, bullet marks could be seen on the trees at the site on Wednesday. Bloodstains were also visible on the ground which is covered by a thick carpet of fallen bamboo leaves.
In the nearby villages, local tribals, most of them women, could be seen outside, but they were reluctant to speak about what they saw or heard during the encounter on Tuesday.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai called it a big achievement and congratulated the security forces involved in the encounter.
“It is indeed a very big achievement… A joint party of DRG and BSF carried out this operation and encountered Naxalites, 29 of whom have been reported dead. Three jawans have been injured during the encounter and they are being treated… I congratulate all jawans and security personnel involved in this historical encounter,” Vishnu Deo Sai said.
Lingaram, a resident of Akameta village in the area, claimed that his cousin Sukku, an active Maoist, was killed in the encounter.
He came to know about it only on Wednesday, he said, talking to reporters at Kalpar village.
Sukku had joined the outlawed CPI (Maoist) as a child and despite the family members trying to persuade him to quit, he stayed with the Maoist movement, Lingaram said.
The family was yet to contact the police to claim Sukku’s body, he added.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the operation and said the BJP government has launched a continuous campaign against Naxalism and terrorism.
“After the formation of the government, in a period of about 3 months, more than 80 Naxalites have been killed in Chhattisgarh, more than 125 have been arrested and more than 150 Naxalites have surrendered,” the Union Minister added.
Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, who holds the home portfolio, hailed the encounter as a surgical strike and a major success and asserted credit for it goes to brave security personnel.
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