By Rabindra Nath Choudhury

Copyright deccanchronicle

Raipur: Two Naxals were on Wednesday gunned down in an ongoing encounter with the security forces in a forest in Gangaloor area under Bijapur district in south Bastar of Chhattisgarh, police said.The encounter took place in the south-western part of Bijapur district at around three pm on Wednesday and the intermittent exchanges of fire were still going on till the last reports came, a police officer said. “Two bodies of Naxals along with arms and ammunition were recovered at the encounter site so far. The casualties among the Maoists may rise. Details on the encounter can be ascertained when the security forces return to their camps”, the police officer said. The arms recovered at the encounter site included one .303 rifle, one Barrel Grenade Launcher (BGL), and a large quantity of explosives, police said. The two slain Naxals were yet to be identified, police said. In another development, 12 Maoists carrying a cumulative bounty of Rs 18 lakh surrendered in Narayanpur under south Bastar on Wednesday. The surrendered Naxals included two area committee members (ACMs) who carried a reward of Rs five lakh each. Meanwhile, two tribals were killed by Maoists in two separate incidents in Bastar, police said. A group of armed Maoists stormed into the village of Benchram under Jangla police station in Bijapur district on Tuesday night and dragged one Dasaruram Ayam (36) out of his house. They then axed the civilian to death before fleeing the area, police said. In the other incident, one Bondi Korram (55), a resident of Nilbaya village under Aran police station in Dantewada district in south Bastar was suspected to have been killed by Maoists on Tuesday night. He had gone to a fellow villager’s house on Tuesday night and did not return. His body was found by his family members near his house late on Tuesday night, police said. His son was killed by Maoists a few months ago.