22 maoists, jawan killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh

Bijapur, Mar 20 (PTI) In a fresh offensive against Naxals, at least 22 members of the banned CPI (Maoists) were killed in two separate encounters in Chhattisgarh, officials said on Thursday.

While 18 Naxals were killed in Bijapur district, four Maoists were gunned down in Kanker areas by a joint team of the BSF and DRG personnel of the state police.

Intermittent firing was still going on in Kanker as reports last came in, the officials said.

A police jawan was also killed in the encounter at Bijapur, they said.

The gunfight broke out at around 7 am in a forest along the border of Bijapur and Dantewada districts when a joint team of security personnel was out an anti-Naxalite operation in Gangaloor police station area (in Bijapur), he said.

Bodies of 18 Naxalites along with firearms and explosives were recovered from the spot, the senior police official said.

A jawan of the state police's District Reserve Guard (DRG) unit was also killed in the gunfight, he said.

The operation was still underway in the area, he added. PTI