Jagdalpur: A top woman Maoist commander was killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region.
The police said that Rupi, an Area Committee Member, was killed in a fierce encounter in the dense forests of Kanker district. The operation, carried out in the Machpalli-Aramjhora-Hidur belt along the Chhotebethiya-Partapur police station limits, marks a significant blow to the dwindling Maoist network in the region, officials said, as reported by NDTV.
The operation was launched based on precise intelligence inputs about the presence of armed Maoists. What followed was a sudden and intense exchange of fire in the Machpalli area, as Maoist cadres opened fire upon the advancing forces.
Security personnel recovered the body of a female Maoist cadre from the encounter site after firing subsided.
Rupi was the wife of the senior Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) leader Vijay Reddy, who was killed in an encounter in the Manpur-Mohla district in 2025.
She had remained active despite repeated appeals to surrender, making her one of the last surviving Telugu-origin Maoist cadres in Bastar, officials said.
Nikhil Rakhecha, SP, Kanker, confirmed that the operation was based on credible intelligence and that forces recovered a pistol, ammunition, and other operational materials from the site.
“This was a targeted search operation. After the exchange of fire, the body of a female Maoist commander was recovered. Identification confirms she is Rupi, an ACM-rank cadre,” he said.
Rupi had long been on the radar of security agencies, with repeated surrender appeals made to her over the past months, officials said.
Sundarraj Pattilingam, IG, Bastar Range, described the encounter as a result of sustained pressure on Maoist networks.
“The government has consistently offered Maoist cadres a chance to surrender and rebuild their lives. Many have taken that path. But those who continue on the path of violence are meeting the same end,” he said.
He also issued a direct warning to the remaining cadres. “Very few Maoists are left active in this region now. Time is running out. They must surrender and return to the mainstream for a peaceful and dignified life.”
It is estimated that around ten Maoist cadres are still active in the Kanker region. Search operations are ongoing, with forces combing the surrounding forests to track down the remaining operatives.
