Police constable, Maoist killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker

A police constable and a Maoist were killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district, according to officials quoted by PTI. The encounter occurred in a forest near Hidur village under the jurisdiction of Chhotebethiya police station, during an anti-Naxal operation by a joint team of security personnel. 

The operation was initiated based on specific intelligence regarding the presence of Naxalites in the Hidur forest. The deceased constable, Ramesh Kurethi, was a member of the Bastar Fighters, a unit of the state police. 

Following the gunfight, an AK-47 rifle and the body of a Naxalite were recovered from the location. A search operation in the area is currently ongoing.

A month after the tragic event in which three personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force, including two from the specialised Commando Battalion for Resolute Action, lost their lives in a confrontation with Maoists, another incident has occurred. 

This encounter took place on the border of Sukma and Bijapur districts in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. Interestingly, Tekulagudem village, the location of this encounter, was also the site of a similar encounter in 2021, which resulted in the death of 23 soldiers.

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