Chhattisgarh: 4 Border Security Force jawans killed in encounter with Naxals

Four BSF jawans have been killed and two injured in an encounter battle with Naxals in southern Chhattisgarh.

Police said the encounter took place in the district of Kanker.

The gun battle took place around noon in a dense forest near Mahla village in Kanker district when a joint team of BSF's 114th battalion and the District Force was out on a search operation, police said.

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"Four BSF troopers were killed and two injured in the incident," Deputy Inspector General (anti-Naxal operations) Sundarraj P told the news agency PTI.

The patrolling team had launched the operation from the BSF's Mahla camp, located around 250 from Raipur, he said.

When the security men were advancing through a forest patch, a group of naxals fired at them, leading to a gun battle, he said.

The deceased were identified as BSF's assistant sub- inspector Boro, and constables Ramkrishnan, Someshwar and Ishrar Khan, he said.

Assistant commandant Gopu Ram and inspector Gopal Ram were injured in the exchange of fire, he said.

Soon after being alerted, reinforcement was rushed to the spot, he said, adding that a search operation was underway in the area.

The bodies and the injured personnel were brought to the BSF's Mahla camp later, he said.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted that he was "Deeply anguished over the loss of @BSF_India personnel during an operation against the Naxals in Kanker."

He said that "They fought valiantly before laying down their lives for the nation."

Singh added that "I have spoken to DG @BSF_India regarding the encounter in Kanker. He has apprised me of the operation. He will be leaving for Chhattisgarh to help the families of martyred BSF soldiers and also assess the ground situation."

Chhattisgarh has had a long history of Naxal-related violence, going all the way back to the late 1960's.

The worst attack on the security forces though took place in April 2010 when 76 CRPF personnel were killed in the Dantewada district.

Both Kanker and Dantewada fall in the Bastar division, which makes up southern Chhattisgarh.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Bhagel had said in January this year, after his Congress party won the state elections, that his government would address the Naxal problem by holding talks with "affected people" including villagers, intellectuals and journalists.

"We will not take any step on... anti-Naxal action... without taking people into confidence," he had said then.

Thursday's encounter comes exactly a week before the general elections.

Polling in the state will be held on April 11 and 23; Kanker itself will go to the polls on April 18.

(With inputs fromPTI)