Never seen such a big action before, said Eknath Shinde about the attack on Naxalism

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that 26-27 Naxalites have been killed in Chhattisgarh (in the operation in the Abujhmad forest), now Naxalism will end. Basava Raju, who had a reward of crores on his head, has also been killed. Ever since the government has changed in Chhattisgarh, this action has intensified… Such a big action has never been seen before… On one hand the Union Home Minister is eliminating Naxalism, on the other hand Prime Minister Modi is eliminating terrorism. Let us tell you that in a major joint anti-Maoist operation, four Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces on the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border in Gadchiroli district, a senior officer confirmed on Friday. The encounter took place during a carefully planned operation by the elite C-60 commando unit of the Maharashtra Police in coordination with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The operation began on Thursday afternoon based on credible intelligence about Naxal activity near the recently established Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Kawande area. A dozen C-60 units comprising around 300 commandos along with CRPF personnel launched the offensive from Kawande and Nelgunda areas. The forces advanced towards the banks of Indravati river despite challenging conditions including heavy rainfall. The firing started on Friday morning when the security personnel were conducting searches and cordoning off the river banks. The Naxals reportedly opened indiscriminate fire on the forces, following which the C-60 commandos retaliated promptly and effectively. After the encounter, the security forces recovered the bodies of four Naxals from the spot. A range of arms and equipment, including an automatic self-loading rifle, two .303 rifles, a Bharmar gun, walkie-talkies, camping gear, Maoist propaganda material and other items, were also seized.