Gadchiroli Feb. 8 (District correspondent) An encounter took place between the Naxalites and the police on Wednesday in Vangeturi area of Etapalli taluka on the Chhattisgarh border.
The place was visited by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on February 5 last. The Naxals’ assassination plot was thwarted by the police, thus averting a major disaster.
Armed Naxal cadres were camping at Hiddur village 7 km from Wangeturi and the police had received information that they were planning to carry out violent operations after raiding the newly opened Wangeturi and Gardewada police centres.
Accordingly, Superintendent of Police Nilotpal ordered an anti-Naxalite operation under the leadership of Additional Superintendent of Police (Operations) Yatish Deshmukh. Police started search operations in Kanker, Narayanpur, Wangeturi, Hiddur areas. On the night of February 7, naxals opened indiscriminate fire at the police personnel from a distance of 500 meters near Hiddur village. The police also retaliated the fire. Fortunately, there was no any causality in this fire.
The Naxalites then took advantage of the dense forest and the darkness and escaped from the spot. Superintendent of Police Nilotpal said that the anti-Naxal campaign has been intensified in the area.
After the firing police launched search operation during which a cache of weapons was found in the forest area that included pittus, wire bundles, IED batteries, detonators, hooks of claymore mines, solar panels and naxal material which was seized by the police.
The incident has shown that the naxals have once again showed their presence in the south Gadchiroli region.
