Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], Mar 22 : Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday visited the Rama Krishna Hospital in Raipur to meet the security personnel who were injured in an encounter, in Sukma district a day before.
"Total 17 security personnel (5 Special Task Force, 12 District Reserve Guards) have lost their lives in an encounter in Sukma, yesterday. They were missing and security forces were trying to locate them after an encounter with Naxals," said Chhattisgarh Police.
The 15 paramilitary jawans who were injured, three of them critically, during the encounter were airlifted and brought to a hospital here.
SP State Intelligence Bureau (SIB) Ravi Shankar said, "As per information, near district Sukma there was a location of Maoist battalion. The encounter started on Saturday around 1 pm at different locations in the region."
Medical Director of Ram Krishna hospital, Sandeep Dave said, "Total 15 jawans have been brought here. They were brought in two lots. In the first lot, there were seven jawans, while in the second there were eight. Three jawans are in critical condition, we are trying to save them.
A team of STF District Reserve Group (DRG) and Cobra Battalion on Sunday relaunched a search operation in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district to locate the 13 jawans who went missing after the encounter with Naxals.
"Search operation by STF DRG and Cobra Battalion for 13 jawans re-launched today morning," Chhatisgarh Director General of Police DM Awasthi said on Sunday.
( With inputs from ANI )