Gadchiroli encounter 37 maoists killed in 48 hours

Gadchiroli encounter- 37 Maoists killed in 48 hours State security forces on Sunday launched an aggressive assault on Maoists in Kasansur village of Gadchiroli; Maoists' bloated bodies have been found floating on the Indravati river

In an encounter with the C-60 squad of the Maharashtra police and CRPF, at least 37 Maoists have been gunned down in the past 48 hours in the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra. Several bloated bodies were pulled out of the Indravati River. The state security forces had on Sunday launched an aggressive assault on Maoists in Kasansur village of Gadchiroli, with continuous weapon firefight for nearly four hours claiming the lives of 16 ambushed Naxals.

A blow to Naxals’ rebellious activities in the region, this operation is the biggest anti-Maoist battle in over 38 years. The Gadchiroli district is among the worst affected by the Maoist insurgency.According to an IANS report, at least 15 killed Maoists are believed to be among those who managed to escape into the forests during Sunday's encounter as they must have subsequently succumbed to their injuries while attempting to cross the river.

Here are the top 10 developments around the anti-Maoist encounter operation in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra: 1.The Gadchiroli encounter demonstrated how security forces could launch an aggressive assault on Maoists based on pinpointed intelligence.

On Sunday, in the forests of Kaswapur in the south of the district, on the border of Maharashtra and Chhatisgarh, some 1,000 km from Mumbai, the anti-Naxal C-60 squad of Gadchiroli police started the encounter to locate the Naxal cadre members.

2. Gadchiroli operation continues: Late on Monday and early Tuesday, as part of the search operations, the state security forces came upon the bodies of 21 slain Maoists in total in two consecutive days floating near the banks of the Indravati River along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh borders, making the total toll reach 37.

3.Confiscation of weapons: Apart from fishing out bodies of the Naxals from the Indravati River, the security forces were able to recover a sophisticated stock of arms, ammunition and weapons, including two AK47s, two INSAS, three SLRs, three.

4.Among the 37 killed militants, Sainath alias Dolesh Madhi Atram, 32, was a prominent leader and was carrying a reward of Rs 1.6 million on his head, the police said. Rajesh alias Dama Naruti, hailing from Murgaon in Gadchiroli district was carrying a cash reward of Rs 400,000.

5.Home ministry set for ‘final push’ after Gadchiroli success: According to a report in The Times of India, the Gadchiroli success has encouraged the Rajnath Singh-led home ministry to plan a ‘final push’ in 30 worst-hit districts spread over seven states, setting the stage for “the proposed wipe-out of Left-wing extremism by 2022”.

6.Celebration of the victory over Naxals: The triumph achieved after executing 37 Maoists was celebrated with no-holds-barred dancing and merrymaking by the security officials in the past three days.

7.Gadchiroli on vigilance and other states on high alert: After last three days' unrestrained weapon firefights and retaliation, the Gadchiroli district

of Maharashtra has been sealed off by the security forces, as they are still on the lookout for the militants in the jungles, villages, hills and valleys to kick them out from their deep hideouts.

8.Will the Naxalites surrender? The Maharashtra police is expecting that many more Naxals will surrender in the coming months. Their hope rose after the state security forces killed 16 Naxalites in an encounter in Gadchiroli district on Sunday (April 22).

9. Rajnath Singh takes stock of the Gadchiroli situation: Home Minister Rajnath Singh had on April 22 called up Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to take stock of the security situation in Gadchiroli district where at least 37 Naxals have been gunned down by the Maharashtra police and CRPF's C-60 commandos, an official said.

10.Who are Naxals?: A Naxal or Naxalite is a member of the Communist Party of India (Maoist). The word “Naxal� comes from the name of the village Naxalbari in West Bengal, where the movement had its origin in the 1960s. Naxalites are considered far-left radical communists who are supportive of Maoist political sentiment and ideology.

ARTICLE SOURCE-BUSINESS STANDARD.