Raipur, Dec. 4 -- Twelve Maoists and three personnel of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) were killed in a fierce encounter in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Wednesday, while two more DRG jawans sustained injuries, officials said. The anti-Maoist operation is still underway. The gun battle erupted early on Wednesday in a forest stretch along the Bijapur-Dantewada border when a joint team of DRG Dantewada-Bijapur, the Special Task Force, CRPF and CoBRA commandos launched a coordinated search operation. Inspector general of police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj Pattilingam said intermittent firing between the Maoists and security forces continued for several hours. Bodies of 12 Maoists have been recovered from the site, though their identities are yet to be confirmed. Security personnel recovered SLR rifles, INSAS rifles, .303 rifles and other arms and ammunition during the search. Three DRG personnel - head constable Monu Vadadi, constable Dukaru Gonde and constable Ramesh Sodhi - were killed in the encounter. Two other DRG jawans were injured, administered first aid and are stated to be out of danger. Officials said the encounter took place between security forces and a Maoist formation led by senior commander Papa Rao, one of the most influential leaders in south Bastar.htc...