BHUBANESWAR: Two commandos of Odisha Police's Special Operations Group (SOG) sustained bullet injuries during an exchange of fire with naxals under Gochhapada police limits in Kandhamal district on Saturday.
They were brought to the main road from the operational area on motorcycles with the assistance of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel.
DGP Abhay, who arrived at Koraput on the day to review the Left Wing Extremism situation, rushed to Boudh after being informed about the exchange of fire and the two personnel sustaining injuries.
Accompanied by Director Intelligence Lalit Das, IG (Operations) Amitabh Thakur and Special Intelligence Wing (SIW) DIG Anirudh Kumar Singh, though the DGP was scheduled to visit Malkangiri, he canceled his visit. He left from Sunabeda in the helicopter and landed at a high-school field in Boudh's Padarpada.
An Indian Air Force (IAF) chopper was called to rescue the injured personnel but it returned from Mahasamund in Chhattisgarh due to bad weather.
The injured personnel were shifted to Boudh in an ambulance and later airlifted to Bhubaneswar in the Border Security Force (BSF) helicopter in which the DGP traveled to Koraput and returned to the Capital city.
"On Saturday morning, an exchange of fire took place between Odisha Police personnel and the Naxals. Two personnel were wounded and some Naxals were also injured as per our information," Abhay told the reporters.
The DGP appreciated the CRPF's support of sending reinforcement after coming to know about the exchange of fire and helping the Odisha Police to shift the injured personnel from the operational area.
Abhay acknowledged the BSF pilot for airlifting the injured personnel, and Kandhamal Primary Health Centre doctor for accompanying them till Bhubaneswar.
After reaching the Capital, the two injured personnel were shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and their condition is stated to be stable.
Mostly Naxals of Kalahandi-Kandhamal-Boudh-Nayagarh (KKBN) and Bargarh-Balangir-Mahasamund (BBM) divisions operate in the region where the exchange of fire took place. Combing operation is continuing in the area.
Acting on a tip-off about the presence of the ultras, SOG and District Voluntary Force (DVF) personnel had launched an operation in the region on Friday.
The Naxals spotted SOG and DVF teams while the search operation was continuing on Saturday and they opened fire at the security personnel.