Once in the spotlight for Naxal violence and terror, the forests of insurgency-hit Bastar region are earning global recognition as a hotspot for different species of birds.
Chhattisgarh Finance Minister OP Choudhary on Tuesday in his budget speech accused the Congress party of ignoring Bastar and said that the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) government accomplished several major development works in the state.
The encounter broke out between Naxalites and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), District Reserve Guard (DRG), and Bastar fighters in the hilly forest between Gondpalli, Parlagatta, and Badepalli at 4:30 pm after intelligence was received about the presence of Naxalites in the border a
According to Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) P. Sundarraj, the incident occurred near Tekalgudem village when a joint team of security personnel was out on a search operation.
A Naxalite camp was busted and a huge quantity of explosive materials, medicines, Maoist literature, and uniforms were recovered after an exchange of fire in the forests of Pedda Karma in Bijapur district on Saturday.
Earlier in the day, a CAF Jawan was killed and another CAF constable was injured in the IED blast by Naxals in the Narayanpur area of the Bastar district.
In 2013, 27 people, including Congress leaders, were killed in the Naxalite attack in the Jheeram Ghaati in Bastar district. Then state Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, former leader of the opposition Mahendra Karma and former Union minister Vidyacharan Shukla were among those killed.