Security forces gun down 25 Maoists in Chhattisgarh forest; operation ongoing
Among those targeted is politburo leader with Rs 1.5 crore bounty; officials await final casualty count
A file image of security forces during an operation in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district. (Photo:X)
Raipur, May 21: Continuing their operations against Maoist insurgents, security forces have reportedly killed at least 25 Maoists during a fierce gunbattle in the dense Abujhmad forest area of Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district, the police said on Wednesday.
The operation, which began early in the morning, is still underway, with combing and recovery efforts continuing across the border areas of Dantewada, Narayanpur, and Bijapur districts.
Though unconfirmed, the casualty count may rise to 26 or more, according to senior police officials. “The number (of eliminated Maoists) is not confirmed as the encounter is ongoing. We will provide an update later,” Narayanpur Superintendent of Police Prabhat Kumar told the press.
The joint operation involved District Reserve Guard (DRG) units from Dantewada, Bijapur, Narayanpur, and Kondagaon, following specific intelligence about the presence of high-ranking Maoist cadres in the Boter area of Abujhmad.
Among the targets was Basava Raju, a politburo member and general secretary of the CPI (Maoist), who carries a bounty of Rs 1.5 crore on his head. His status in the ongoing operation is yet to be confirmed.
This latest encounter comes days after security forces concluded a 24-day-long anti-Maoist campaign in the Karregutta hills along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border.
During that operation, 31 Maoists — 16 women and 15 men — were killed. One of the top casualties was Nambala Keshav Rao alias Gaganna (67), a politburo member from Andhra Pradesh, who also carried a ₹1.5 crore bounty.
In a significant development earlier this week, 24 Maoists, including 14 with a combined bounty of ₹28.50 lakh, surrendered in Bijapur district. This wave of surrenders coincides with a massive anti-Maoist drive involving nearly 24,000 personnel in the Karregutta region since April 21.
Last month, 26 Maoists — three of them carrying rewards totalling ₹4.5 lakh — also laid down arms in Narayanpur. Notably, five of the surrendering cadres were women active in regional committees.
Each had a ₹1 lakh bounty and cited years of hardship, disillusionment with Maoist ideology, and a desire for normalcy as reasons for leaving the movement.
IANS