Three persons were killed on Monday in a gun battle between Naxalites and security forces in a forested patch in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district but police said the identity of the dead was not clear..
Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sunderraj. P said it was yet to be ascertained if the deceased were Maoists or civilians. “There was no casualty among the security personnel,” he said.
The fight broke out after Naxalites allegedly opened fire at a newly set up police camp at Silger in Sukma along the border with Bijapur district.
In recent days, some villagers in Silger had been protesting against the police camp which came up last week. The village is said to be a Maoist hub.According to police, the protest was instigated by Naxalites.
Amid the protest, Naxalites fired at the camp around 12.30 pm on Monday. The security personnel retaliated, the official said, adding that intermittent firing was still on. The bodies of three persons were recovered from the site. Reinforcements were rushed to the area.
