Chhattisgarh: Encounter breaks out between Special Task Force, Naxals in Orchha

Narayanpur (Chhattisgarh) [India]: An encounter broke out between jawans of the Special Task Force (STF) and Naxals in the forest area near Orchha police station in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, officials said.

“STF personnel are safe as Naxals fled amid the encounter. The area is being searched. The viral information circulating on social media about polling booths being gheraoed by the Naxals is wrong and voting is going on,” officials said.

With voting for the first phase in Chhattisgarh polls underway, the Naxals fired at DRG personnel deployed for an outer cordon around 2 kilometres away from Banda polling station on Tuesday morning, police officials said.

“Security forces retaliated and the firing from naxals’ side stopped after 10 minutes,” Sukma Police said.

Meanwhile, all jawans are safe and voting is still underway, they added.

Voting for 20 of the 90 assembly constituencies began today in the State, out of which multiple districts that went to polls were naxal infested.

Earlier today, a jawan of the Central Police Reserve Force (CRPF) was also injured in an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) blast triggered by Naxals in the Tondamarka area of Sukma district in Chhattisgarh. The jawan was deployed on election duty during the time of the blast.

According to Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan, “One jawan of CRPF CoBRA 206 Battalion was injured in an IED blast triggered by naxals in the Tondamarka area of Sukma. The jawan was deployed for election duty.”

Chhattisgarh, which has a 90-member house is undergoing elections in two phases, with the second phase scheduled for November 17.

Of the 20 constituencies that are witnessing polling in the state 12 are from the Bastar division.

Voting is being held in constituencies that are Naxal-affected and fall in districts like Bastar, Dantewada, Kanker, Kabeerdham, and Rajnandgaon.

The counting of votes is scheduled for December 3.