The shootout took place in the wee hours when a combing operation against the LWEs was underway in anticipation of a naxal offensive in the wake of Chhattisgarh naxal attack.
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In the latest gun battle between security forces and Left Wing Extremists (LWEs), at least three Maoists were killed and a police officer was injured in an encounter in the forested area in Kalahandi district on Tuesday, a senior official said.
The shootout took place in the wee hours when a combing operation against the LWEs was underway. During the exchange of fire, three Maoists were killed and a deputy superintendent of police rank officer suffered injuries, Director General of Police Sunil K Bansal said on Tuesday.
The injured DSP has been rushed to the government-run Bhima Bhoi Medical College & Hospital in Bolangir. The combing operation is still underway in the forest areas along the border of the Kalahandi-Kandhamal districts, the DGP said.
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Details of the combing operation are still awaited.
In the wake of Chhattisgarh naxal attack in which 11 persons, including ten security personnel, were gunned down on 26 April, the Odisha Police had sounded an alert in several districts, including Kalahandi, anticipating Naxal offensive in these areas.
It is pertinent to note here that Odisha witnessed a marginal dip in Maoist activities or LWE in 2022 in comparison to 2021, according to a white paper presented in the State Assembly.
In 2022, seven Maoists of outlawed outfits were killed in anti-naxal operations across the state. The state recorded 27 cases of violence involving Maoists, in which seven red rebels were killed while 12 others were arrested in police action. At least eight civilians and three security personnel were killed, and three Maoists surrendered in 2022.
In 2021, the state had reported 28 incidents of violence involving the red rebels in which seven Maoists were killed and one security personnel was slain. Two civilians were also killed while 36 red rebels were arrested and 21 had surrendered.
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