Naxal shot dead near Sringeri in Karnataka

One naxal was shot dead during an exchange of fire between the Anti Naxal Force (ANF) and a group of naxalites at Kigga near Sringeri in Karnataka.

Karnataka’s Additional Director General of Police Shankar Bidri told reporters that a group of naxalites comprising two women was holding a meeting with villagers of Kigga on Monday night.

Based on a tip off, the ANF reached the spot and surrounded the village, situated at a distance of 14 kms from Sringeri. When the security personnel appealed to the naxalites to surrender, they reportedly opened fire. The ANF returned fire, leading to the death of one naxalite identified as Vikram Gowda. A few others may also have sufferred injuries in the shoot-out.

Bidri said the security personnel could not pursue the naxalites as the area, which skirts the Kettamudi forest range of Western Ghats, was shrouded in pitch darkness. “The security personnel stayed put in the area throughout the night. During the search carried out on Tuesday morning, they stumbled upon the dead naxal”, he said.

The police also recovered a grenade and 0.33 mm pistol used by the police personnel from the spot.

Meanwhile, the ANF has intensified combing operations in the Kettamudi forest range. Western Range Inspector General of Police H N Satyanarayana Rao and other senior police officials have rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation.