The security forces killed at least twelve suspected Maoist rebels in a clash in Jharkhand’s Bakoria village on Monday night.
Superintendent of Police Mayur Patel told a news agency, “The encounter took place in Bakoria village, about 140 km from Ranchi in the wee hours. All the bodies have been recovered.”
According to the Additional Director General of Police (Operation) S N Pradhan the encounter took place around 1 am. He further said that the police recovered 12 bodies and eight automatic guns in a forested area and that there were no police casualties in the area.
The encounter lasted about two hours, according to reports.
Allegedly, the Maoist rebels were on their way to extort money from several mining contractors in Palamau district in Jharkhand state and started firing as they saw the security forces, leading to retaliation by the police.
After the Dumka attack on April 20, 2014, when rebels had ambushed a police vehicle and killed six policemen, Monday night’s encounter is the first major incident of such a conflict in the area.