Nagpur (Maharashtra), May 19 (IANS) One policeman was killed and two others were seriously injured Thursday in a gun battle with Maoists in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district, police said.

According to the district police, the gunfight started around 9 a.m. in the thick forests of Bhamragad and is still continuing.

"A police jawan of C-60 squad, Chinna Vetta, has been martyred in the incident. Two others, Sadhu Palli and Shankar Govase, have been seriously injured and rushed to the Gadchiroli civil hospital," a police officer said.

The casualties among the Maoists is not clear as of now, he said.

Meanwhile, authorities have summoned additional forces from the neighbouring district of Chandrapur to assist the Gadchiroli security forces in the operation.

A helicopter has been pressed into operation to carry out sorties and pinpoint the Maoists' location.

Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil is the guardian minister of the Maoist-infested Gadchiroli district.