7 Naxals, 2 DRG cops killed in encounter in Bijapur; Maoists toll at 270 so far this year
Bijapur (PTI): Seven Naxalites and two personnel of the District Reserve Guard (DRG), a specialized unit of the state police, were killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Wednesday, officials said.
Another DRG jawan suffered injuries in the gunfight, they said, adding the anti-Naxal operation was still underway in the district.
The gun battle broke out in a forest along the border of Bijapur-Dantewada districts when a joint team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxal operation, Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj Pattilingam said.
Personnel belonging to the DRG from Dantewada and Bijapur, and Special Task Force, both units of the state police, and CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action- an elite unit of CRPF) are involved in the operation, he said.
So far, bodies of seven Naxalites have been recovered from the encounter spot, but their identities were yet to be established, the senior IPS officer stated.
Besides, Single Loading Rifles (SLRs), .303 rifles and other arms and ammunition were recovered from the site, he said.
"Head Constable Monu Vadadi and Constable Dukaru Gonde, belonging to the DRG Bijapur, were martyred in the encounter, while another DRG jawan Somdev Yadav sustained injuries," Pattilingam said.
The injured jawan was immediately provided first aid and is stated to be out of danger, said the IGP, adding appropriate arrangements were made for his further medical treatment.
Reinforcement teams were dispatched to the encounter site which falls in the west Bastar division and a search operation was still underway in the area, Bijapur Superintendent of Police Jitendra Yadav said.
With the latest action by security forces, 270 Naxalites have been killed in encounters in Chhattisgarh so far this year.
Of them, 241 were eliminated in the Bastar division, comprising seven districts, including Bijapur and Dantewada, while 27 others were gunned down in Gariaband district, which falls in the Raipur division. Two Naxalites were killed in Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district in Durg division.
The Centre has set a deadline of March 31, 2026, to completely eradicate Left-wing extremism.
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Russian military hardware, spare parts for Indian military to be manufactured in India
New Delhi (PTI): Russia agreed to encourage joint manufacturing in India of military hardware and spare parts for maintenance of Russian-origin arms and defence equipment.
Ways to bolster overall bilateral defence cooperation figured prominently during summit talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
It has been a long-standing grievance of armed forces that the supply of critical spares and equipment from Russia takes a long time, affecting the maintenance of military systems procured from that country.
"Both sides agreed to encourage joint manufacturing in India of spare parts, components, aggregates and other products for maintenance of Russian origin arms and defence equipment under Make-in-India programme through transfer of technology," a joint statement said.
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It said both sides also agreed to set up joint ventures for meeting the needs of the Indian armed forces as well as subsequent export to mutually friendly third countries.
The joint statement said the India-Russia defence partnership is being reoriented to take up joint co-development and co-production of advanced defence technology and systems.
In their meeting on Thursday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov resolved to expand bilateral defence cooperation.
In the meeting, the Indian side showed keen interest in procurement of additional batches of S-400 missile systems from Moscow to bolster its combat prowess.
In October 2018, India signed a USD 5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems, notwithstanding a warning by the US that going ahead with the contract may invite US sanctions under the provisions of Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
Three squadrons have already been delivered.
The S-400 systems played a crucial role during Operation Sindoor. India may also look at procuring the S-500 missile systems from Russia.
In the Modi-Putin talks, the two sides also agreed to continue jointly developing systems of bilateral trade settlements through the use of national currencies.
Additionally, the two sides agreed to continue their consultations on enabling the interoperability of the national payment systems, financial messaging systems, as well as central bank digital currency platforms.
Modi and Putin appreciated the ongoing intensification of the joint work on a free trade agreement on goods between India and the Eurasian Economic Union, covering sectors of mutual interest, the joint statement said.
They also directed both sides to intensify efforts in negotiations on a mutually beneficial agreement on the promotion and protection of investment, it said.
India and Russia also welcomed steps to ensure long-term supply of fertilisers to India and discussed the potential establishment of joint ventures in this area.
