Maoist killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur; AK-47 recovered

RAIPUR: A notorious Maoist was killed and his AK-47 rifle recovered in an ongoing encounter between security forces and armed cadres in south Bijapur region of Chhattisgarh on Thursday morning.The encounter broke out around 7.30 am in the Chinnagellur–Tarrem area hours after joint teams of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the CoBRA launched a search operation following specific intelligence inputs about the presence of armed Maoist cadres in the area, an official told TOI. Police said intermittent firing has been continuing since morning as the operation is still underway in the dense forest zone of south Bijapur. The body of one Maoist, along with an AK-47 assault rifle, has been recovered from the encounter site so far.According to preliminary information, the slain cadre has been identified as Udham Singh, a Maoist commander and Divisional Committee Member (DVCM) associated with Platoon No. 30. He was considered one of the most active ground-level operatives in south Bastar.A police statement said detailed confirmation regarding the identity, rank and role of the deceased Maoist would be shared only after the completion of the search operation and post-encounter verification.The operation is still in progress.Additional reinforcements have been deployed in the region, and forces are carrying out intensive combing to rule out the presence of more Maoist cadres or hidden explosives in the area.