In the largest such operation in Chhattisgarh’s 24-year history, at least 30 Maoists were gunned down in an encounter with security forces in Abujhmad, Dantewada district, on Friday.
The gunfight broke out at around 1 pm in the forest between Thulthuli and Nendur villages in Abhujmad on the Narayanpur-Dantewada inter-district border, when a joint team of security personnel was out on anti-Naxal operation.
According to the police, the Districts Reserve Guards (DRG) from Dantewada and Narayanpur, acting on specific intelligence inputs on the presence of Maoists in the area, set out on an operation from different police camps. The DRG is a specialised force that includes Maoists who have surrendered.
Along with the 30 bodies, a cache of weapons, including an AK-47 rifle and one SLR (self-loading rifle), were also recovered from the encounter spot.
Dantewada Superintendent of Police Gaurav Rai told the media that around 30 Naxalites were killed in the gun battle. Abujhmaad straddles between Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, and is called the ‘unknown hill’ as the 6,000 sq km thick forest has not been surveyed since the British era.
The jungle is the epicentre of Maoist activities and about a dozen senior cadres of CPI (Maoist) are said to be still camping there.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai hailed the security forces for their operation and said the ‘double engine’ government (BJP government in the state and at the Centre) is determined to eliminate the menace.
In a post on X, CM said, “There is news of 28 Naxalites gunned down in an encounter with security forces in the border area of Narayanpur-Dantewada districts. The great success achieved by the soldiers is commendable.
I salute their courage and valour. Our fight to eliminate Naxalism will end only after reaching its conclusion. Our double engine government is determined for this. Eliminating Naxalism from the state is our aim.”
According to police, with this latest encounter, 185 Maoists have been gunned down by the security forces in separate gun battles in the Bastar region comprising seven districts, including Dantewada and Narayanpur, so far this year
The last big encounter from the state was reported on September 3, when nine Maoists, including six women, were killed on the border of Dantewada and Bijapur districts. On April 16, as many as 29 Naxalites, including some higher-ranking cadres, were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Kanker district.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during his visit to Chhattisgarh in August had said India will be free from Left Wing Extremism (LWE) by March 2026, and a
strong and ruthless strategy was required to launch the final assault against the menace.
