Two Naxals, who were allegedly involved in the recent killing of BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi and four security personnel, were gunned down in a fierce encounter with police personnel in a forested patch of insurgency-infested Dantewada district, police said here on Thursday.
According to police the incident happened around 5.30am in the forest of Daulikarka village about 450 km south of state capital Raipur.
“A team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) was out on an anti-Naxal operation when they had a faceoff with armed Maoist rebels leading to exchange of fire,” Deputy Inspector General (anti-Naxal operations) Sundarraj P said.
Soon the Naxals retreated into jungle. Later on, while searching the area bodies of two ultras and a .315 bore gun were recovered from the spot, he said.
A militia member of Maoists was also found injured at the spot and was shifted to a local hospital, the police officer added.
Meanwhile, according to Dantewada Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pallava the slain Maoists were identified as Vargese and Linga. They were believed to be involved in the ambush in which Mandavi and his four security personnel were killed on April 9, the SP said.
The MLA's convoy was heading towards Kuwakonda from Bacheli area when the Naxalites blew up their vehicle with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and opened fire at the occupants.
Vargese, a member of the Malangir Area Committee of Maoists, was looking after the operation of the banned outfit's students' wing in the area, the DIG said. He was reportedly an expert in assembling and planting IEDs.
Linga was active as LOS (local organisation squad) member in the Katekalyan Area Committee of Maoists, he said, adding a search operation was still underway in the region.
