4 Naxals, One Police Official Killed in Encounter at Chhattisgarh

Four Naxals, including two women, and a police official were killed in an encounter at Rajnandgaon district in Chhattisgarh, informed police on Saturday.

According to police, the incident took place on Fridaynight at Pardhauni village under Manpur police station, when a team of securityforces was out on a counter-insurgency operation.

Inspector-General of Police (Durg Range) Vivekanand Sinha said, "The security forces had launched the operation acting on a tip-off about the presence of ultras in the village."

"When the patrolling team was cordoning off thearea, Naxals suddenly came out of the village and the encounter broke outbetween the two sides," he said.

"Police Sub Inspector (SI) S K Sharma, who wasposted as the Station House Officer at Madanwada police station, lost his lifein the gunfight," the IG said.

Bodies of the four Naxals were recovered from the spot along with an AK47 rifle, an SLR rifle, and two 315 bore rifles, he said.

Reinforcement was rushed to the spot and bodies of themartyred official and the Naxals were evacuated out of the forest, he said,adding that search operation was underway in the area.