14 Naxalites gunned down in encounters in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region

Sukma/Bijapur, Jan 3 (PTI) At least 14 Naxalites were killed in separate encounters with the security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region on Saturday, police said.

Twelve ultras were gunned down in Sukma, while two were eliminated in the adjoining Bijapur district in the early hours of the day, they said.

Personnel from the District Reserve Guard (DRG), a unit of the state police, were involved in both operations launched based on inputs about the presence of Maoist cadres in the area, a senior police official said.

An exchange of fire broke out around 8 am in the forest of the southern region of Sukma, he said.

"The bodies of 12 cadres have been recovered so far. The operation is still underway," the official said.

During a separate operation in Bijapur, a gunfight took place in a forest in the southern region of the district around 5 am, the official said.

The bodies of two Naxalites were recovered from the scene. The intermittent exchange of fire was still underway, he said.

The official said a cache of weapons, including AK-47, INSAS and self-loading rifles, has been recovered from the encounter sites.

Further details will be revealed once the operations culminate, he added.

According to the police, the Konta area committee of Maoists was almost wiped out in the encounter at Sukma.

As many as 285 Naxalites were gunned down in separate encounters with security forces in Chhattisgarh last year. PTI TKP ARU