Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Friday expressed grief over the death of two police jawans in an encounter with Naxals and said that their sacrifice will not go in vain.
"Naxalism is breathing its last in Jharkhand and we will only rest when we eradicate it completely," Das told reporters here.
"Two of our jawans lost their lives in an encounter with Naxals. Salute to their sacrifice. This sacrifice will not go in vain, Naxalism is taking its last breaths and we will only stop once it is wiped out completely. The government will always stand by the kin of the deceased personnel," Das had earlier put out a tweet.
Acting on a specific tip-off, a joint team of Special Task Force (STF) and police had launched an operation near the Dassam fall area on Thursday night.
An encounter between the team and the Naxals broke out in the early hours today, following which one jawan, Kanchan Prasad Mahto, was killed on the spot while another, Akhilesh Ram, got grievously injured.
Ram was taken to the Medical Hospital for treatment where he breathed his last.
The police have launched a search operation to nab the Naxals in the region following the encounter.
( With inputs from ANI )