In a significant crackdown on Naxal insurgents, security forces killed at least 22 members of the banned CPI (Maoists) in two separate encounters in Chhattisgarh, officials confirmed on Thursday. The coordinated operations were carried out by joint teams of the Border Security Force (BSF) and the District Reserve Guard (DRG) of the state police.
According to senior police officials, 18 Naxals were gunned down in Bijapur district, while four were killed in the Kanker region. The encounter in Bijapur occurred around 7 am along the border of Bijapur and Dantewada districts when security personnel launched an anti-Naxalite operation in the Gangaloor police station area.
“The bodies of 18 Naxals, along with a large cache of firearms and explosives, were recovered from the site,” a police officer reported. However, the operation came at a cost — a DRG jawan lost his life in the intense gunfight.
Meanwhile, the encounter in Kanker remains ongoing, with intermittent firing still being reported from the area as security forces continue to flush out remaining insurgents.
These successful operations are being seen as a major blow to the Maoist network in Chhattisgarh, reinforcing the state’s commitment to eradicating Naxal influence in the region.
