In one of the deadliest blows to Naxalites in Chhattisgarh, security forces on Sunday gunned down 31 rebels in a fierce encounter in the state’s Bijapur district. Two security personnel were also killed in the face-off. The massive operation in the jungles of Bastar region was carried out by a 600-strong team of trained commandos and was planned for over a fortnight, according to reports.
The Sunday’s operation – hailed by Union home minister Amit Shah as a “big achievement” for the security forces – has raised the number of Maoists killed so far this year to 81.
The operation, which was planned for over a fortnight, witnessed jawans from the Chhattisgarh police’s District Reserve Guard, Special Task Force (STF), and Bastar fighters entering the Indravati National Park area through various routes on Thursday morning.
A section of the commandos entered the forests through the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra. Their movement to the Maoists cadres camping area was facilitated by the state police.
नक्सल मुक्त भारत बनाने की दिशा में सुरक्षा बलों ने छत्तीसगढ़ के बीजापुर में बड़ी सफलता हासिल की है। इस ऑपरेशन में 31 नक्सलियों को ढेर करने के साथ ही भारी मात्रा में हथियार और विस्फोटक सामग्री भी बरामद की गयी है।
मानवता विरोधी नक्सलवाद को समाप्त करने में आज हमने अपने दो बहादुर…
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 9, 2025
The operation began at around 8am with intense gunbattle on a forested hill along the border of Manded and Farsegarh police station areas, Bastar range inspector general of police Sundarraj P said. The exchange of fire lasted till around 4 pm, he said.
“So far, bodies of 31 Naxalites, including 11 women, clad in ‘uniform’ have been recovered from the encounter site. Besides, a huge cache of weapons, including AK-47, INSAS, SLR and .303 rifles and Barrel Grenade Launchers (BGL), and explosives have also been seized from the scene,” the official said.
The huge cache of automatic weapons from the site indicates the presence of senior Maoist cadres for a meeting, the official said.
The slain Maoists are believed to be from Telangana, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.
“The identification of Maoists will be done on Monday but a senior cadre is likely to have been killed in the encounter because the kind of automatic rifles recovered from the encounter spot. Police also had specific input of senior cadres hence the operation was planned,” an intelligence officer said on condition of anonymity.