16 Maoists killed in Gadchiroli, encounter death toll may rise

MUMBAI: In one of the biggest success ever in the anti-Naxal operations in Gadchiroli district in past 38 years, 16 Maoists including two divisional commanders were killed in police encounter in Tadgaon area of Bhamragad tehsil on Sunday.

The police, who are conducting combing operations to recover bodies of the Maoists, are expecting a retaliatory attack and have said that the death toll in the encounter may rise further.

“After receiving credible inputs on the movement of Perimili Dalam near Tadgaon in Bhamragad tehsil, the operation was launched on Saturday. On Sunday at around 9.30 am the encounter began. After the conducting the combing operation dead bodies of 16 Naxal activists have been recovered as yet,” said Ankush Shinde, deputy inspector general of Gadchiroli range.

This time of year is the onset of ‘Tendu Patta’ season where Tendu leaves are harvested. The increased economic activity in the district attract Naxals as extortion from Tendu leaves contractors is one of the major sources of income for the Maoists that helps them run their organization. Taking into account this fact the police were on their trail. 

As the troops of specialized anti-Naxal squad C-60 were patrolling the area, they encountered a Naxal Dalam at Tadgaon forest around 150 kilometres from police headquarters in Bhamragad tehsil. The encounter began at around 9.30 am. By around 1.30 pm, when the Naxals started retreating, at least 14 Naxals were killed including Perimili Dalam commander Sainath, who was recently elevated as the divisional committee member, and Sinu, a divisional committee member from South Gadchiroli division of CPI (Maoist). 

In the combing operations after that, police recovered two more bodies, sources have said. The police have also recovered huge stock of arms and ammunition. However, exact details of that were not readily available.

This is the biggest ever success of the anti-Naxal operations in the Gadchiroli district 38 years back. Maximum number of Naxals gunned down in a single operation had never crossed seven in Gadchiroli till today, the police said. Also, while in all 19 Maoists had been killed in various actions last year, the toll has crossed 21 in the first four months this year. 

Death of two divisional committee members in a single action too is another feather in the cap of the anti-Naxal division of the Gadchiroli police.