There was a total reward of Rs 16 lakh on these 8 Naxalites, security forces killed them in Bijapur encounter:There was a total reward of Rs 16 lakh on these 8 Naxalites, security forces killed them in Bijapur encounter

Bijapur: Eight Naxalites killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Saturday had a total reward of Rs 16 lakh on their heads, police said. Eight members of the banned Maoist organisation were gunned down by security forces during an anti-Naxal operation in the forest near Todka village under Gangaluur police station area. Two jawans of the District Reserve Guard (DRG), a unit of the state police, were also injured in the encounter. A senior police officer said on Sunday that one of the killed Naxalites, Kamlesh Neelkanth (24), was a member of the Gangaluur area committee of the Maoists' West Bastar division and had a reward of Rs five lakh on his head.

A reward of three lakhs each has been announced on Tati Kamalu and Mangal Tati. He said two other naxalites, Tati Kamalu and Mangal Tati of Gangalur LOS (local organization squad), were carrying a reward of Rs 3 lakh each. According to the officer, the remaining naxalites have been identified as Lachu Potam (40), Shankar Tati (26), Raju Tati, Vijju Padam (22) and Sannu Tati (40) and all of them had a reward of Rs 1 lakh each. The officer said one INSAS rifle, one grenade launcher and its 10 shells, two 12 bore rifles, four muzzle-loading rifles and a large quantity of explosives were recovered from the encounter site.

49 Naxalites were killed in different encounters

So far this year, 49 Naxalites have been killed in different encounters in the state. Of these, 33 Naxalites were killed in Bastar division, which has seven districts including Bijapur. According to the police, 16 Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security personnel in the state's Gariaband district on January 20-21. Gariaband is a part of Raipur division. Police said that last year, security forces killed 219 Naxalites in different encounters in the state.

Seven Naxalites carrying a bounty of Rs 32 lakh surrender

Let us tell you that on 31 December 2024, seven Naxalites carrying a reward of Rs 32 lakh surrendered before the security forces in Kanker district of Chhattisgarh. The surrendered Naxalites were active in Raoghat, Partapur Area Committee and Gadchiroli Division of North Bastar Division. Of these, a reward of eight lakh rupees each was announced on the heads of three Naxalites, five lakh rupees on the head of one Naxalite and one lakh rupees each on the heads of three Naxalites. North Bastar Division Committee member Mamta alias Shanta alias Mamtakka (60), Military Company Number 10 member Dinesh Mattami (20), Military Company Number 5 member Ayatu Ram Potai (27), Partapur Area Committee member Jamuna alias Neera Netam (50), Partapur LGS member Itwarin Padda (25), Panidobir/Raoghat LoS member Sanjay Nareti (23) and Panidobir LoS member Sagunnu Ram Anchala (24) surrendered before the security forces.

Police officials said that Naxal Mamta, Dinesh and Ayatu Ram Potai have a reward of Rs eight lakh each on their heads while female Naxal Jamuna has a reward of Rs five lakh on her head. They said that Naxal Itwarin, Sanjay Nareti and Sagun Ram have a reward of Rs one lakh each on their heads. Officials said that the Naxalites decided to surrender after being influenced by the government's rehabilitation policy and being fed up with the hollow ideology of Naxalites. Officials said that the surrendered Naxalites have been given an incentive of Rs 25,000 each under the state government's rehabilitation policy. They will also be given other facilities as per the rules.