10 Naxals killed in encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Gariaband

Chhattisgarh: At least 10 naxals, including CC member Manoj alias Modem Balkrishna were gunned down in Chhattisgarh's Gariaband district on Thursday, Gariaband SP said.

The gunfight erupted in the forest under Mainpur police station limits when security personnel were out on an anti-Naxalite operation, Raipur Range Inspector General of Police Amresh Mishra told PTI.

"Personnel belonging to Special Task Force (STF), CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action - an elite unit of CRPF) and other state police units are involved in the operation. Intermittent exchange of fire is still underway. As per the inputs received from the ground, at least eight Naxalites have been gunned down," the IGP Amresh Mishra had earlier told PTI.

According to police, the operation was launched based on the inputs about the movement of top Naxalites in the area, located over 180 km away from capital Raipur.

Who was Modem Balakrishna?

Modem Balakrishna was a senior leader and Central Committee Member (CCM) of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) who was killed in Thursday's encounter as per the police.

Balakrishna, also known by his aliases Balanna, Ramachander and Bhaskar, was the secretary of the Odisha State Committee (OSC) and had joined the movement in early 1980s.

In a separate incident on Thursday, two personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were injured when a pressure IED planted by Naxalites exploded in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district.

IED planted by Naxalites explodes

The incident took place near Saatdhaar bridge on the Indravati river at around 10.30 am, when a team of CRPF's 195th battalion was out on an area domination operation from its camp in Malewahi police station area, an official said.

When the patrolling team was cordoning off the area near Saatdhaar, a pressure Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded, causing injuries to Inspector Diwan Singh Gurjar and constable Alam Munesh, both belonging to CRPF's 195th battalion, the police official said.

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