Chhattisgarh: Paramilitary personnel injured in Maoist encounter as polling begins
What's the story
Four paramilitary personnel were injured on Tuesday after an encounter with Maoists in Chhattisgarh, where polling for assembly elections in the first phase was underway. The gunfight lasted for around 20 minutes in a forest near Duled and Tadmetla villages in Sukma district's Konta block. Earlier, paramilitary personnel deployed on election duty was injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in Sukma's Tondamarka.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Twenty out of Chhattisgarh's 90 assembly constituencies went to polls on Tuesday. These seats mostly encompass southern Chhattisgarh's Bastar district, where Maoists are active. To recall, the incumbent Congress won 17 of these 20 seats in the 2018 Chhattisgarh Assembly elections. Polling for the rest of the 70 seats will be held on November 17, while the votes will be counted on December 3.
Encounters
3 encounters between security forces and Maoists
Around 60,000 personnel have been deployed in the areas where voting was held on Tuesday in the state. Commandos of the 206th Batallion of the CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action), an elite unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), were deployed in sensitive areas. Encounters between security forces and Maoists also reportedly took place in Narayanpur district's Orchha and Kanker district's Antagarh.
Details
Security personnel recover AK-47 after encounter
Maoists and security personnel also engaged in a gunfight in Panavar village under the Antargarh constituency. Officials said some insurgents might have been killed or injured in the skirmish. A joint team of Border Security Forces (BSF) and District Reserve Guard (DRG) were out for a domination operation when the encounter occurred. After the gunfight, troops recovered an AK-47 rifle from the spot.
Information
BSF jawan, polling personnel injured in IED blast
On Monday, two polling personnel and a BSF commando headed to the Rengaghati Rengagondi polling station were injured in an IED blast near Kanker's Chhotebethiya, also falling under the Antagarh constituency. They were said to be out of danger.