4 Maoists Gunned Down in Encounter in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum

Chaibasa: At least four Maoists were gunned down in an encounter with police in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district on Monday morning, the latest in a series of anti-Naxal operations this year.

Among the four deceased were one zonal commander, one sub-zonal commander and one area commander, said police.

Police also arrested two Maoists, including an area commander, in Chaibasa. Rifles of different calibre were also recovered from their possession, police said.

"Four Maoists were killed in the gunfight, while two have been arrested," news agency PTI quoting Jharkhand Police spokesperson and IG (Operations), Amol V Homkar as saying.

More details are awaited.

8 Maoist Killed in Chhattisgarh

This comes two days after eight Maoists and a security personnel of the Special Task Force (STF) were killed in during an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district. A joint team of security forces from Narayanpur, Kanker, Dantewada and Kondagaon districts was out on an anti-Maoist operation in the forest of Abhujmad when the gunfight broke.

The anti-Naxal operation involving the teams of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) from the four districts, the Special Task Force (STF) and the 53rd battalion of the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) was launched on June 12.

Earlier on June 7, at least seven Maoists were gunned down by the District Reserve Group (DRG) personnel along the inter-district border of Narayanpur, Dantewada and Kondagaon. Three Jawans of the Narayanpur DRG had sustained injuries in the encounter. The injured jawans were airlifted to a hospital from the Gobel area under the East Bastar Division.