Two women Naxalites killed, CoBRA commando injured in Chhattisgarh encounter

Two women Naxalites were killed and one personnel of the CRPF's elite Commando Battalion for Resolute Action was injured on Monday in an encounter between security forces and ultras in Chhattisgarh's Gariaband district, a police official said. The CoBRA commando's injury is superficial, he added.

The exchange of fire occurred in a forest under Mainpur police station limits along the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border during an anti-Naxal operation by security personnel, Gariaband Superintendent of Police Nikhil Rakhecha told PTI.

Personnel belonging to District Reserve Guard (DRG), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and CoBRA from Chhattisgarh and Special Operation Group (SOG) from Odisha are involved in the operation, which is still underway, the SP said.


"After the intermittent firing stopped, the bodies of two women Naxalites were found. A CoBRA jawan sustained a superficial bullet injury and has been airlifted to Raipur for medication. His condition is stable," Rakhecha informed.

With the latest incident, 28 Naxalites have been killed so far in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh in January. Eighteen Naxalites were killed in an encounter on January 16 in Bijapur district. A total of 219 Naxals were neutralised by security forces in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh in 2024, officials had said.