Daring security personnel foiled naxals' plan to execute major incident ahead of election under TCOC

Kanker (Chhattisgarh) [India], April 17 : Before Chhattisgarh could have landed into an ocean of sorrow ahead of Lok Sabha elections, alert and daring security personnel in the state's insurgency-hit Kanker district killed 29 naxals in an encounter before they could execute a major incident as a part of their Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC).
Killing 29 Naxals, including 15 females and some dreaded cadres, and recovering large numbers of sophisticated weapons, security forces foiled the insurgents' plan to execute a major incident ahead of elections in Bastar division, hinted senior officials.
"Following inputs about the presence of hardcore cadres, including Shankar, Lalita and Rupi in Maad area falling in Kanker district and their plans to create a disturbance during the election, security forces mobilised, resulting in the biggest breakthrough on the naxal front," said Pakhanjur Station House Officer (SHO) Laxman Kewat, who was among officers leading the team.
"Currently, the TCOC of insurgents is ongoing," he added.
Keeping several factors in mind, including TCOC, the operation was launched in the area, following which a major breakthrough was received, the officer added, who was part of several encounters reported in Maoist-hit districts.
Shedding details about the naxal unit, their formation and the site of encounter, Kewat informed that the naxal group was part of north Bastar division. Naxals have several formations in the maad area where encounters took place, ranging from Jantana Sarkar to military companies. The area where the encounter took place is unpredictable in terms of naxalites' numbers, ambush and other potential threats.
"Maad is considered as a stronghold of naxals. Crossing Kotri river and returning to the respective fold is one of the challenges. Considering the magnitude of threat linked to the area, the team did not spend much time at the site of encounter because of the probability that naxals may plant ambushes to target security personnel returning back," said Kewat.
He stated that after firing, we immediately returned with the bodies
"There could be a probability that the number of slain naxals would be higher. The search in the area was still underway," the inspector said.
He further informed that the team had no idea that naxals would open fire first, as we were intending to call them to shun the part of violence and surrender. "Last month, we had an encounter with naxals resulting in the killing of the LGS commander in Kanker district and the recovery of one AK-4," the officer informed, adding that "one jawan was killed on the line of duty."