National Desk, 3rd April: Security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Wednesday morning announced the discovery of three additional bodies of Maoists. This revelation follows a fierce gun battle between security forces and Maoist rebels that occurred just a day earlier, according to police sources.
The number of Maoists killed in Tuesday’s clash has now risen to 13, with police attributing the increase in casualties to their intensive operations in the region. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Chhattisgarh Police jointly eliminated 10 Maoists in the Bijapur district during the confrontation, marking a significant rise in insurgent casualties for the year. This recent engagement has brought the total number of insurgents eliminated this year to 47, surpassing the entirety of 2023’s count, which stood at 22.
The skirmish erupted in the Kendra-Korcholi jungles, located within the jurisdiction of Gangaloor police station—a known stronghold of the Communist Party of India (Maoist). Officials reported that the clash began around 6 am when a joint team of security personnel launched an anti-naxal operation, meticulously planned based on specific intelligence inputs.
The operation, initiated Monday evening from various security camps, involved the deployment of approximately 3000 personnel from various agencies, including the Chhattisgarh Police’s District Reserve Guard and Special Task Force, as well as the Central Reserve Police Force and its elite guerilla unit, Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (COBRA).
Tuesday’s operation represents a significant setback for the Maoist insurgents, marking the most substantial blow against their ranks since 2019. The recovery of significant arms and ammunition, including a Light Machine Gun (LMG), a .303 rifle, a 12-bore gun, and barrel grenade launchers, underscores the intensity and scale of the encounter.
With 47 Maoists neutralized since December 2023 in various engagements across the Maoist-dominated Bastar region, the recent operation signifies a concerted effort by security forces to curb insurgency in the area.
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