Raipur, May 16: The Inspector General of Central Reserved Police Force on Tuesday claimed 20 Naxals were killed in an encounter operation in Bijapur which was conducted by 350 paramilitary jawans. Addressing the media, Inspector general said it is the first time forces saw Naxals using the uniform of COBRA unit of the CRPF. Also Read - Politics Heats up Over Farm Bills 2020, PM Modi Says Opposition Misleading Farmers; Cong Calls it 'Blatant Attack' on Federal Structure

The encounter operation appears to be the first major operation conducted by the paramilitary forces to sweep out Naxal from the dreaded red zone sprawling across the borders of Chhatisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The operation comes in the wake of Ministry of Home Affairs review meeting held on May 8 after the dastardly Naxal attack in Sukma last month. Also Read - 'Great Leader And Loyal Friend', Trump's Birthday Wish For PM Modi

Sukma Naxal attack claimed the lives of 25 CRPF jawans. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the attack ‘cowardly’ and said the sacrifice of the jawans will not go in vain. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh too said that he accepts the challenge tossed by Naxals after the attack. Also Read - Happy Birthday Narendra Modi: Kangana Ranaut Prays For Prime Minister’s Long Life in a Video

The attack took place on personnel of the CRPF’s 74th Battalion as they were assisting the local population in road building and clearing activity in the district.

The CRPF conducted about 200 special operations with a “re-worked” strategy, apprehending 26 Maoists and seizing a huge cache of munitions, since the April ambush in Sukma where Naxals had massacred 25 of its personnel.Of the 26 Maoists apprehended, 15 were involved in the deadly ambush in Sukma district in Chhattisgarh on April 24.

The force also seized a huge assortment of arms and ammunition as part of these operations, an operations dossier revealed, CRPF DG said on Monday.