Cops said during interrogation, they admitted to their involvement in the attack.
The Chhattisgarh government used a helicopter to transport the board examination question papers to an exam centre located in an interior pocket of Naxalite-hit Sukma district in the state, officials said on Friday.
The gunbattle took place at a forest in Kistaram area bordering Telangana
Kunjam, who rushed medicines to Menon on behalf of the Chhattisgarh government on Tuesday, told media persons in Ramaram village on way to Sukma that he was told that the collector's condition was stable.
A cache of weapons, including an AK-47 rifle, one SLR (self-loading rifle), one INSAS rifle, one LMG rifle and one .303 rifle were also recovered from the encounter spot.
While they were cordoning-off a forested patch near Pariya village, the Naxals triggered an IED.
Setting up new camps of security forces in these villages in the last seven months has been paving the way for development of the respective areas, they said.
Apart from those wearing the number 23 Delhi Daredevils jersey with Gambhir printed on the back, there were 21 others who would have loved to see Gambhir play on Friday.
Last rites of CRPF jawanas killed in the Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh's Sukma, were conducted with full state honours.
The incident took place on Wednesday night in Tarrem area when a joint team of security personnel was returning after an anti-Maoist operation in forests on the tri-junction of Bijapur-Sukma-Dantewada districts, a police official said in Bijapur.
With this incident, 154 Naxalites have been gunned down by the security forces in different encounters in Chhattisgarh so far this year, the police said.
16 weapons, including 315 bore and 12 bore guns, were recovered from the spot.
Freed by Naxals after 12 days in captivity, Collector Alex Paul Menon on Friday reached his home in Sukma.
Deva recently replaced Hidma as commander of the Maoists' battalion no. 1, the IG added.
An injured jawan said around 10-12 Naxalites must have got killed in the 'befitting' retaliation by the CRPF contingent.
Two Naxals were also gunned down in these face-offs.
The Naxals used over 50 kilogram of explosives in Chhattisgarh's Sukma, about a year after a dozen jawans were killed in a similar ambush in the district.
After 12 days in captivity, Sukma Collector Alex Paul Menon was on Thursday released unharmed by Maoists bringing to an end the hostage crisis in Chattisgarh marked by some anxious moments just before he stepped out of the rebel stronghold.
He said he would possibly go to Sukma on Wednesday.
Here is the timeline of major Naxal attacks in Chhattisgarh.
Police personnel checked vehicles and conducted flag marches at various places in Punjab on Wednesday while central forces maintained a tight vigil in Tripura.
Sukma Collector Alex Paul Menon, who was recently set free by Maoists after 12 days of captivity in Chhattisgarh, on Wednesday met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and thanked her for urging the Centre to take steps for his release.
The jawans are helping farmers in ploughing their fields
"I feel happy as a parrot that has just been let off from a cage," said Varadhas, father of Sukma Collector Alex Paul Menon, who was released after being held in captivity by Maoists for 13 days.
A Chhattisgarh Armed Force jawan was killed by Naxals in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Sukma district on Saturday. Constable Shivkumar Sidar was unwell for the last few days and was going for treatment to Dornpal from Temelwada in a bus where he was abducted by a group of Maoists and was killed, Inspector General, Bastar Range SRP Kalluri, said.
Eight Naxalites and a jawan of the Special Task Force (STF) were killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district on Saturday, police said.
Avenging the Sukma attack, security forces claim to have gunned down 12-15 Maoists in Chhattisgarh's Basaguda-Chintalnar area on Sunday.
According to the police, these villages have never seen unfurling or hoisting of the national flag since 1947, but that will change when its residents will join the rest of the country in celebrating Republic Day, which commemorates the day when the Constitution came into effect in 1950.
The incident took place in the morning under Jagargunda police station area when a team of the CRPF's 165th battalion was out on an anti-Maoist operation, a police official said.
India has received 20 per cent less rainfall since the start of the monsoon period on June 1, with the rain-bearing system making no significant progress between June 12 and 18, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
A cache of explosives and weapons was also seized from the encounter site, he added.
The police on Saturday claimed to have gunned down eight Maoists during an encounter in forests near Kutul-Farasbeda and Kodtameta villages in the district.
Twelve constituencies of Bastar division were among 20 assembly segments in Chhattisgarh that went to the polls in the first phase on November 7. A high voter turnout of 78 per cent was recorded in these 20 seats.
In the first phase covering 20 of the total 90 assembly seats, 223 candidates, including 25 women, are in the fray and as per electoral rolls, 40,78,681 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise.
Among the three slain personnel, two belonged to the CoBRA's 201st battalion and one to the CRPF's 150th battalion, a senior police officer said.
This post Office in Bengaluru has been constructed using 3D printing technology.
A CoBRA company has about 100 personnel each.
Officials said while two commandos, identified as constables Linju N and Fateh Singh had succumbed to their bullet injuries on Thursday, their collegaue Lakshman Singh died on Friday.
Acting Director General of the CRPF, Sudeep Lakhtakia said the ambush has "naturally called for the revision of standard operating procedures" in these areas.
A jawan of the special task force of state police was killed in an encounter with the Naxals in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Sukma district on Saturday. The encounter took place at Kondre village under Gadiras police station limits, 400 km from Raipur, Additional Superintendent of Police Santosh Singh told PTI.
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