12 Maoists Killed In Bijapur Encounter, Arms Recovered: Officials

Twelve Maoists were killed in a gunfight with Chhattisgarh Police and security personnel in Bijapur district on Friday, according to officials familiar with the matter.

The gunfight occurred in a forest near Pidia village under Gangaloor police station limits when a team of security personnel was engaged in an anti-Naxal operation, as reported by Hindustan Times.

Photo Credit: PTI

12 Maoists Killed In Bijapur Encounter

At the incident spot, police recovered 12 arms, including a Barrel Grenade Launcher (BGL) launcher, one 12-bore rifle, and muzzle-loading rifles. Officials stated that the bodies of the Maoists have yet to be identified.

A joint team of state police, including the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF), Bastariya Battalion, and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) along with its elite guerilla unit Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), was conducting the operation based on intelligence from a prominent Maoist leader located in the forests of Pida, approximately 55 kilometres from the district headquarters of Bijapur, as reported by Hindustan Times.

Deputy Inspector General of Police, South Bastar, Kamalochan Kashyap, mentioned that 12 bodies of Maoists have been recovered so far from the encounter site, and the combing operation will continue. The gunfight, which began at around 9 am and lasted till 5 pm on Friday, was followed by security forces recovering the bodies of the Maoists.

In April, security forces also gunned down 29 Naxalites in an encounter in the Kanker district of the state. In a recent incident, a total of 99 Maoists were killed in gunfights with security forces in the first four months of 2024 alone. In counter-reaction from the Maoists, insurgents have killed 21 civilians in 2024 and 41 civilians in 2023.

Deputy Chief Minister and State Home Minister Vijay Sharma congratulated the team for their successful encounter in Bijapur, noting that a series of encounters by security forces had been carried out in the last month. He reiterated the state government's clear policy regarding Maoists, expressing readiness for talks and urging Maoist youths to engage in development activities, emphasizing a focus on development in the interior villages of Bastar.