BHOPAL/JABALPUR: In one of the biggest counter-insurgency operations in Madhya Pradesh in a decade, police gunned down three Maoists, including a woman commander, in a jungle in Balaghat district on Monday morning. The three carried a combined bounty of Rs 30 lakh and were wanted by police in multiple states. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced promotions and gallantry medals for those involved in the operation.
Senior police officers said a team from MP Police’s Hawk Force set out to intercept the Maoists after getting specific intelligence about their movement in the region. The encounter took place in a patch of jungle in Bahela, around 75km from Balaghat district headquarters and less than 1km from the Maharashtra border.
Home minister Narottam Mishra announced that Hawk Force had shot dead Maoist divisional committee member Nagesh, who carried a bounty of Rs 15 lakh, and area commanders Manoj and Rame, both of whom had rewards of Rs 8 lakh each. An AK47 was among three firearms seized. This is the first time an AK47 has been found with Maoists in MP, said some officers.
Nagesh was a native of Gadchiroli and was involved in many incidents of violence, including some in Balaghat in the last three months. Manoj was from Bastar and Rame was from Sukma, said officers. This comes around three months after Maoists killed a forest worker near Kanha National Park in Balaghat district. Sukhdev Parte’s body was dumped near a resort close to Kanha’s Mukki gate.
