Nine Maoists, including six women, were killed by security forces in an anti-Naxal operation conducted in the forests along the border of Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada and Bijapur districts on Tuesday (September 3, 2024), according to the police.
With these deaths, the tally of alleged Maoists killed by security forces this year has crossed 150.
Dantewada Superintendent of Police Gaurav Rai said that the operation was carried out by a joint team of District Reserve Guards (DRG), Bastar Fighters, and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). They had recieved a tip-off about the presence of Maoists belonging to the PLGA Company No. 2 and the West Bastar and Darbha Division, in the hilly forested area under Kirandul police station of Dantewada district.
Ammunition recovered
“During the search, there was continuous firing between the police party and the Maoists, seven to eight times, starting around 10:30 a.m.,” Mr. Rai said, in a statement.
Around 1:15 p.m., the police confirmed that nine alleged Maoists had been killed. A large quantity of arms and ammunition — “Naxalite material and daily use items including 01 SLR rifle, 01 303 rifle, BGL launchers, 12 bore rifle, 315 bore rifle” — had also been recovered, the police said, adding that the search operation was continuing. Around 6 p.m., another bulletin was issued with no further increase in the casualty figures.
Prima facie, all the deceased have been identified as members of the West Bastar and Darbha Division Committee and PLGA Company No. 02, said Mr. Rai, adding that all members of the security forces were safe. “In view of the possibility of many other Maoists being killed/injured during the encounter, additional re-inforcement teams are searching the area around the encounter site,” he said.
‘Better coordination, strategy’
Last week too, security forces had gunned down three women Maoists in the conflict zone of Bastar, signalling the continuation of the anti-Maoist drive started late last year even into the conventionally slower monsoon season.
So far in 2024, 153 Naxalite bodies have been recovered, 669 arrested, and 656 Naxalites have surrendered, according to Sundarraj, the Inspector General of Police for the Bastar Range, who attributed the numbers to better coordination and strategy by the local district police force, DRG, and central paramilitary forces.
In a recent visit to Chhattisgarh, the State worst affected by left-wing extremism, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that Naxalism would be eliminated by March 2026.
Published - September 03, 2024 08:24 pm IST