Bijapur: The total number of Maoists killed in an encounter with security forces in the Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh now stands at 18, officials have confirmed. Searches are being carried out to locate more bodies, if any.
Three District Reserve Guard personnel also laid down their lives in the operation that lasted nearly 24 hours between Wednesday and Thursday. While 12 bodies of the Naxalites were recovered on Wednesday, six were found a day later.
According to the police, 16 of the slain Maoists were quite senior in the hierarchy of the banned CPI (Maoist). They collectively carried a reward of Rs 1.30 crore.
“The bodies of 12 Maoists were found till late Wednesday evening after prolonged intermittent firing between them and security forces. When the firing stopped on Thursday morning, six more bodies were recovered during the search operation. The encounter began around 9 am on Wednesday in the forests of Kachilwar and Potenar villages and continued till 8 am on Thursday,” Sundarraj P, inspector general of police, said.
The joint operation was carried out by personnel of DRG Dantewada, DRG Bijapur, Special Task Force (STF) and the CRPF’s CoBRA. It was launched based on intelligence inputs about the presence of Maoists of the West Bastar Division and PLGA Company No 2 in the region.
“Our security forces bravely retaliated to the Maoists’ firing, but unfortunately, three jawans of DRG Bijapur sacrificed their lives in action,” the IG said.
The deceased were identified as head constable Monu Vadadi, constable Dukaru Gonde and jawan Ramesh Sodhi, all residents of the Bijapur district.
Three injured security personnel — ASI Janardan Korram, constable Somdev Yadav and constable Rammlu Hemla — were airlifted to Raipur for treatment and are stated to be out of danger.
Modiyami Vella, commander of PLGA Company No 2, who was allegedly involved in at least 44 major Maoist incidents, including the 2013 Jhiram Valley attack, the 2020 Minpa ambush and the 2021 Tekalgudem attack, was among the Maoists killed.
He carried a reward of Rs 8 lakh on his head, the police said. Fifteen other slain cadres carried a reward of Rs 8 lakh each, while the identity of the remaining two is yet to be established.
A large cache of weapons was recovered from the encounter site. These included a Light Machine Gun (LMG), four AK-47 rifles, four SLRs, an INSAS rifle, two .303 rifles, four single-shot rifles, two Barrel Grenade Launchers (BGLs) and one muzzle-loading rifle. Radio sets, scanners, multimeters, hand grenades, safety fuses, Maoist literature, uniforms, medical items and other materials were also seized.
Sundarraj further said coordination between police, security forces and stakeholders has intensified operations against the remaining Maoist hideouts.
“Our goal of a peaceful and Naxal-free Bastar is clear. Under current circumstances, the Maoists are completely cornered and have no option but to abandon violence and return to the mainstream,” he said.
Meanwhile, the CRPF has said that it has established a camp on a remote hilltop in the Gogunda area of the Sukma district in Chhattisgarh. This is an area where neither a road or even a basic foot track existed in the past.
The new camp will significantly strengthen area domination, improve road connectivity, and facilitate the delivery of government welfare schemes to tribal villages in the area.
