Raipur, 11 Sept

At least 10 Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh's Gariaband district on Thursday, a police official said.

Police sources said Modem Balakrishna, a senior leader and Central Committee Member (CCM) of the outlawed CPI (Maoist), is among the deceased.

The gunfight broke out in the forest under Mainpur police station limits when security personnel were out on an anti-Naxalite operation, Raipur Range Inspector General of Police Amresh Mishra told PTI.

"Personnel belonging to the Special Task Force (STF - a unit of the Chhattisgarh police), E-30 (a unit of the district police), CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action - an elite unit of the CRPF) and other state police units are involved in the operation. Intermittent exchange of fire is still underway," the IGP said.

"Ten Naxalites, including senior cadres, have been gunned down so far," he said, adding that further details were awaited as the operation was still underway.

According to police, the operation was launched based on the inputs about the movement of top Naxalites in the area, located over 180 km away from capital Raipur.

Police sources said Modem Balakrishna, a senior leader and Central Committee Member (CCM) of the outlawed CPI (Maoist), was likely to be killed in the gun battle.

Balakrishna, also known by his aliases Balanna, Ramachander and Bhaskar, was the secretary of the Odisha State Committee (OSC) and had joined the movement in early 1980s.

With the latest action, 241 Naxalites have been killed in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh so far this year. Of them, 212 were eliminated in the Bastar division, comprising seven districts, while 27 others gunned down in Gariaband district which falls in Raipur division. Two other Naxalites were killed in Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district in Durg division.

These deceased Naxals included Chalpathi alias Jairam, a member of central committee and Odisha state committee of Maoists.

In January this year, 16 Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces in the same Mainpur area of Gariaband.

Last year, 219 Naxalites were neutralised by security forces in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh.