C’garh: 31 Naxals, 2 jawans killed in Bijapur encounter, huge cache of automatic weapons recovered

Raipur:�In one of the biggest counterinsurgency operations this year, the security forces on Sunday gunned down 31 Maoists, including 11 women, in the Indravati National Park area, a Naxal stronghold, in Bijapur district under south Bastar of Chhattisgarh, police said. This takes the toll of Maoists killed so far this year to over 80. Two jawans were killed and two others injured in the fierce encounter.

Acting on specific intelligence inputs on the presence of some senior Maoist cadres camping in the jungle in the national park, a joint search operation comprising personnel of district reserve guard (DRG), special task force (STF) and Bastar Fighters (BF) was launched in the area in the morning.

Security forces came under attack by the Maoists while closing in on the Naxalite camp set up in the forest, leading to an encounter between them.

“Bodies of 31 Naxals have so far been recovered along with a huge cache of automatic weapons such as AK 47s, INSAS assault rifles, self-loaded rifles, barrel grenade launchers and large quantities of explosives at the encounter site. Two security personnel lost their lives while two others were injured in the incident,” Bastar inspector-general of police P. Sunderraj said.

The two deceased jawans were identified as DRG head constable Naresh Dhruv and STF constable Basit Rawte. The two injured jawans were airlifted to Raipur for better medical treatment and are reported to be out of danger.

The search operation continued at the encounter site till the last report came in. Reinforcement was sent to the area.

Known in the security parlance as the "hardcore Maoist zone", the "red corridor" in the Indravati National Park area facilitates the movement of top Maoist cadres from Gadchiroli in Maharashtra to Bijapur in south Bastar and vice versa when faced with pressure from security forces on either side, sources said.

The "Maoist zone" is guarded by the national park area committee, one of the fierce formations of the Naxals, to ensure safe movement of the top-level cadres on the route, sources added.

In the current year so far, as many as 68 Maoists have been killed in Bastar in separate encounters. Besides, 18 Naxals, including the central committee (CC) member Chalpati carrying a bounty of `1 crore, were gunned down in a forest falling under the Udanti Sitanadi tiger reserve under Gariaband district in east Chhattisgarh.

Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai praised the security forces for the successful counterinsurgency operation in the national park area and exuded confidence that the target set by the Centre to end Naxalism by March 31, 2026 will be accomplished. He expressed grief over the death of two jawans.

Mr Sai said that in the last 13 months since the BJP came to power in Chhattisgarh in December 2024, a total of 282 Maoists have been eliminated, 1,033 have been arrested and 925 ultras have surrendered.