Two policemen were killed and one was critically injured in an encounter with cadres of the banned Maoist group, Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC), in Kedal forest under Manatu police station area of Jharkhand’s Palamu district.
Police said the gunfight broke out on Wednesday during a special anti-Maoist operation targeting the TSPC’s top commander, Shashikant Ganjhu, who carries a reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head. Acting on intelligence inputs that a group of TSPC militants was camping in Kedal forest and planning to execute a strike, security forces launched a search operation.
As the forces approached, TSPC ultras opened fire. Police retaliated, leading to a fierce encounter in which two policemen, Santan Kumar Mehta (resident of Sova Barewa, Haidarnagar) and Sunil Ram (resident of Parta village, Haidarnagar) were killed. Another jawan, Rohit Kumar from Lalgarh, Rehla police station, sustained serious bullet injuries and underwent surgery at Medinirai Medical College and Hospital (MMCH) in Daltonganj.
Hospital authorities have completed preparations for the post-mortem of the slain policemen.
Senior police officers, including Palamu SP Reeshma Ramesan and probationary IPS officer Shubham Nagargoje, rushed to the hospital to meet the injured policeman and console the families of those who were killed.
Sources said that some TSPC militants may also have been injured or killed in the encounter, though no bodies have been recovered so far. The area has been cordoned off, and a search operation is underway.
Confirming the incident, SP Reeshma Ramesan addressed the media and said that the operation was launched against TSPC cadres, including their commander, Shashikant Ganjhu. “During the exchange of fire, two policemen were martyred and one jawan was injured, who is now under treatment,” she said.
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Kedal, where the gunfight broke out barely 100 metres from Ganjhu’s house, is considered his stronghold. Ganjhu is known to control TSPC operations in Palamu and Chatra regions.
