Chhattisgarh: 14 Maoists Killed in Separate Encounters in Sukma, Bijapur

At least 14 Maoists were killed in two separate encounters with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma and Bijapur districts on Saturday, officials said, in one of the largest recent anti-insurgency operations in the Bastar region.

Of the total, 12 Maoists were killed in Sukma district, while two were neutralised in a separate encounter in neighbouring Bijapur, officials said. In Bijapur, the bodies of two Maoist cadres, including one identified as Hunga Madkam, were recovered from a forested area near Gaganpalli village under the Basaguda police station limits. Security forces also seized one self-loading rifle (SLR) and a 12-bore rifle from the site.

The Sukma operation was launched late Friday night by District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel from the Palodi and Potakpalli areas under Kistaram police station limits, based on specific intelligence inputs about Maoist presence. Automatic weapons, including AK-47 and INSAS rifles, were recovered from the encounter site, officials said.

The operation was being closely monitored by Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan, who said further details would be shared after the operation concludes.

Earlier in the day, two Maoists were killed in a separate encounter in Bijapur district after an exchange of fire broke out around 5 am in a forested area of southern Bijapur. The firefight began when a DRG team launched an anti-Naxalite operation following intelligence inputs.

Officials said intermittent firing was continuing in the area and search operations were underway. Further details are awaited.