Raipur: In their continuing onslaught against Left Wing Extremism in the country, security forces gunned down three Maoists in the Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh on Tuesday. Authorities said that weapons and explosives were seized from the spot. The encounter is continuing.
The encounter in the forests, close to Dantewada’s border with the Bijapur district, comes a few days after the security forces killed 30 Maoists in two encounters in the Bijapur and Kanker districts of the state. A security personnel also lost his life during those encounters that took place on March 20.
“The gunfight started around 8 am on Tuesday after a patrolling party came across a Maoist camp inside the forest. A fierce gunfight ensued, in which the three rebels were killed. There were others who escaped deeper into the forest. They are being followed by the troops,” an official said. The security forces were commended by Kamlochan Kashyap, DIG, after the encounter.
Tuesday’s encounter takes the number of Maoists killed in Chhattisgarh in 2025 to over 100. In 2024, security forces had killed over 200 Naxalites in the state. There were several top leaders of the banned CPI (Maoist) among those killed.
Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has asked all state governments to keep a lookout for wanted Maoist cadres who may attempt to take shelter in urban or suburban areas, to avoid getting killed in encounters with the security forces.
Earlier this month, a dreaded Naxalite – wanted for several acts of violence in Jharkhand – was arrested from the Pitampura area of Delhi. She had escaped from Jharkhand and settled down in Delhi in 2020, before taking up jobs as a domestic help at several households.
