Clash in Chhattisgarh; 18 Maoists including Shankar Rao killed, three security personnel injured

NEW DELHI: Security forces killed 18 Maoists including senior Maoist leader Shankar Rao in an encounter. The encounter took place in the Kanker district of Chhattisgarh. A large stock of weapons has also been seized from them. Among them are seven AK 47 guns and three light machine guns. Shankar Rao is a Maoist leader who has a price of Rs 25 lakh on his head.
Three security personnel were injured in the firing. One of them was shot in the leg. The encounter took place in the forest near Binagunda village under Chhote Bettiah police station limits. The Maoists clashed with the special forces of the Border Security Force and the District Reserve Guard.
The encounter started around 2 pm. The incident occurred during the search by the security forces. Last month too, a Maoist-security force encounter had taken place in the district, in which one Maoist was killed. A security soldier had died a heroic death on that day. The security forces said that a gun, various weapons and pamphlets were seized from there. Security forces had killed three Maoists in an encounter in Kangar in February. Maoist-security forces clashed during an election in November last year.