In A joint offensive against Naxalites along the Andhra-Chhattisgarh border, the Andhra Pradesh Police and Chhattisgarh Police together shot dead 17 Maoists in the dense forests between Pamedu in Khammam district and Bijapur in Chhattisgarh. The operation to flush out the militants was still on during the filing of this report. Bastar IG R K Vij said: “The encounter continued for over three hours and the Greyhounds led the joint team and inflicted heavy casualties on the ultras. We have so far recovered 17 bodies of suspected extremists.” Khammam SP Devendra Singh Chauhan said 15 weapons, including some AK-47s, had been recovered from the Naxalites. “The police personnel engaged in the encounter are yet to return and the situation will become clear after that,” Vij added. The police have suffered no casualties and are currently combing the area. The operation started late on Monday night following a tip-off that a large number of armed Naxalites were hiding in the jungles under the Pamedu police station area. Being very close to the border, the Chattisgarh Police were also part of the operation, the police said, adding that there were still at least 30 Naxalites hiding in the jungles, considered a hotbed of Maoist activity.Police said the Naxalites opened fire when the raiding team pounced on their hideout deep in the jungle. In the exchange of fire, 12 Naxalites were killed while the five others were shot down as they tried to flee. “We have so far counted 17 bodies. The number may go up,” said a police officer monitoring the combing operation.The border police stations of AP Police, especially those in Khammam district, had been put on a high alert after a series of attacks by Maoists in February and the migration of a large number of tribals from south Bastar into Khammam recently. Police said tribal youths were supporting the Maoists.Chhattisgarh Director General of Police Vishwaranjan has confirmed that the offensive against Naxalites will continue in the coming period. “After achieving success in the initial joint operation, a bigger offensive will be launched shortly which will require more manpower. We have requested the Centre and more security personnel are expected here shortly,” he added.With reports of heightened Naxalite activity in the region and infiltration, the Khammam police had taken up a massive surveillance exercise in the forests, including an aerial survey. Early this week, 10 Naxalites owing allegiance to various groups — including CPI-ML’s Prajaprathigatana district secretary V Sariah Sagar and his wife — had surrendered before the police. The borders of neighbouring states of Orissa, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have been sealed so that the extremists are unable to escape. About 400 CRPF personnel and officers from the anti-Naxalite unit, Greyhounds, are camping in the area.Operation clean-upIn the first joint operation against Naxalites, the police forces of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh have sent some 1,000 commandos to the Maoist stronghold of Bastar in Chhattisgarh where forest camps were destroyed in two separate operations last week.While a team of the Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra police are targeting Naxalites in the Abujhmad forests, the second operation is being carried out in the forests of south Bastar region by the Greyhounds, Andhra’s anti-Naxal force, and Chhattisgarh Police.
