In a significant blow to Left Wing Extremism in the region, security forces gunned down at least 14 Maoists during separate encounters in the southern districts of Chhattisgarh on Saturday. The coordinated anti-insurgency operations took place in the dense forests of Sukma and Bijapur, located within the restive Bastar division.
Operation Details and Fierce Firefights
The engagements began early in the morning, based on specific intelligence about the presence of armed cadres. Intermittent exchanges of fire started around 5 am in Bijapur district, while a similar engagement was reported from Sukma district beginning at approximately 8 am. The operations were spearheaded by teams of the District Reserve Guard (DRG), a specialized unit trained for jungle warfare in the South Bastar region.
Following the gun battles, search operations were launched in the encounter zones. The bodies of 14 Maoists were recovered from the sites. Of these, two were neutralized in Bijapur, while the remaining twelve were killed in Sukma. The security forces also seized a substantial arsenal of weapons from the slain insurgents.
Weapons Recovered and Key Commander Eliminated
A police statement confirmed the recovery of a large cache of sophisticated arms, which included AK-47 rifles, INSAS rifles, and Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs). This seizure is expected to significantly impair the operational capability of the Maoist cadres in the area.
Among the twelve Maoists killed in Sukma was a prominent figure identified as Sachin Mangtu (DVCM) of the Konta Area Committee. He was eliminated in the forest encounter. Police sources indicated that with this action, all the Maoist commanders allegedly involved in the killing of Konta Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Akash Rao Girepunje have now been neutralized in the ongoing operations.
Ongoing Vigilance and Official Statements
Superintendents of Police from both districts, Sukma SP Kiran Chavan and Bijapur SP Jitendra Yadav, were personally monitoring the ground situation. Combing and search operations continued in the surrounding forest areas to ensure no additional Maoist presence remained.
Officials, citing security concerns for personnel still in the field, refrained from disclosing the exact locations of the encounters or the strength of the forces involved. They stated that a detailed account of the operations and their outcomes would be shared publicly after the conclusion of the search and combing exercises.
This major success marks a critical phase in the sustained anti-Naxal operations in Chhattisgarh, dealing a severe setback to the insurgent network in one of its core zones.
