A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officer was killed during an exchange of fire with naxals in Chhattisgarh’s left-wing extremism affected Bijapur district on Saturday (February 12), officials said.
The incident took place at Timmapur-Putkel under Basaguda police station area of the district when a CRPF patrol comprising personnel from the ‘F company’ of its 168th battalion was out for a road opening and sanitising duty.
The officer, Assistant Commandant Shanti Bhushan Tirkey, suffered bullet injuries and later succumbed to them, the officials said. One personnel Appa Rao is stated to have been injured in the encounter.
SB Tirkey was a resident of Jharkhand.
“Assistant commandant of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was killed in an encounter with naxals in the jungle of Putkel in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh,” said Inspector General of Bastar P Sundarraj on Saturday.
He added that one CRPF jawan was also injured in the encounter which broke out between Police and Naxalites in Putkel forests adjoining Timmapur of Usoor block under Basaguda Police Station limit.
A combing operation is currently underway in the area, about 440 km from state capital Raipur.
Further details are awaited in this regard.
