Hawk Force Kills Naxal Sohan in Madhya Pradesh Forest Encounter

A 30-year-old Naxal named Sohan, also known as Ukas, was killed in an encounter with Hawk Force in the Kothiyatola forest of Balaghat district, Madhya Pradesh. Sohan, a resident of Sukma district in Chhattisgarh, was an expert in making IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) and had a reward of Rs 14 lakh on his head.

According to Jaideep Prasad, Additional Director General of Police (ADG) for Anti-Naxal Operations, the encounter took place on Monday. Sohan was involved in Naxal activities in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra. A 315 bore rifle and a Kenwood wireless set were recovered from him.

Hawk Force had received information about Naxal movement in the Kothiyatola village area. Acting on this information, they conducted an intensive search operation. During the operation, Hawk Force stopped 10-12 Naxalites in civil dress. The Naxalites opened fire, and Hawk Force retaliated, leading to the recovery of Sohan’s body. There is a possibility that other Naxalites were injured, and the search is ongoing.

Sohan had been involved in many incidents since 2013 and was a member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). He had eight criminal cases registered against him in Madhya Pradesh, with more information being gathered about his activities in other states.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has been supporting the anti-Naxal operations, with three encounters occurring during his tenure. The first encounter happened in December last year, the second in April this year, and the third on Monday.