Fierce gun battle among police, Maoists in Dantewada

     Dantewada, August 04, 2010: A large number of armed naxalites and an elite force were locked in a fierce gun battle today in the woods of Dantewada district in Chhattisgarh, police said.

     “Police personnel and armed Maoists are engaged in a fierce gun battle in the jungle of Dantewada district since noon,” Police officers told ChhattisgarhTopNews.Com.

      It was not immediately known about any casualty.

      “There could be casualty from either side. But for a clear picture one has to wait for the gun battle to over,” Chief of Anti-Maoists operation of Chhattisgarh, Ramniwas said at Raipur.

     The gun battle was taking place at Guniapal area of Kirandul jungle, about 475 km from the south of Capital Raipur, Deputy Police Chief of the Dantewada District Rajesh Kukreja said.

     On information of the presence of a large number of left wing extremists, led by a wanted commander, the elite commando of the Special Task Force and the state police had been sent to the area and after information about the nature of gun battle reinforcement have been rushed to the spot, Kukreja said.

     However, the anti-Maoists operation in that area has been hit due to heavy downpour in the area, the District Police officer said.

     To a question, Ramniwas said “it is wrong to say any of the forces are missing. It was on their radio message that additional forces have been rushed to the Kirandul jungle. None of the forces are missing”.

     Kirandul is the area, where one of the best quality iron ore of the world is available and the repeated Maoists strike in the area was hampering the production, India Government officials have said.