In a major crackdown on Naxal insurgents, at least 22 members of the banned CPI (Maoist) were killed in two separate encounters in Chhattisgarh, officials confirmed on Thursday. The operations took place in Bijapur and Kanker districts, where security forces launched an anti-Naxalite offensive.
According to officials, 18 Naxals were gunned down in Bijapur, while four were neutralized in Kanker by a joint team of the Border Security Force (BSF) and the District Reserve Guard (DRG) of the state police. Intermittent gunfire was still reported in the Kanker region as the security operation continued.
A police jawan from the DRG unit lost his life in the encounter in Bijapur. The gunfight erupted around 7 AM in a forested area along the border of Bijapur and Dantewada districts, during an anti-Naxal operation in Gangaloor police station limits.
Security forces recovered the bodies of 18 Naxals, along with a cache of firearms and explosives, from the Bijapur encounter site. The search operation in the region remains ongoing.
This offensive marks a significant strike against Naxal activity in Chhattisgarh, a state that has witnessed frequent clashes between security forces and Maoist insurgents. The authorities have yet to provide further details on the identities of the deceased rebels or the impact of the operation on Naxal strongholds in the region.