Sixteen Maoists were killed and two jawans injured in an encounter with security forces in the forests of Upampalli Kerlapal area along the Sukma-Dantewada border.
Gunfire broke out in the early hours in a forest under Kerlapal police station, where a joint team of security forces was carrying out an anti-Naxalite operation, an official said.
The operation, launched on Friday night based on intelligence about Maoist presence in the Kerlapal area, involved personnel from the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
“Sixteen Naxalites' bodies have been recovered from the site of the encounter so far, with the operation still ongoing,” the official confirmed.
Two security personnel sustained minor injuries during the operation, the official added.
Union home minister Amit Shah said the government is resolved to eradicate Naxalism by March 2026 and appealed to those with arms to choose peace and development over violence.
“Another strike on Naxalism! Our security agencies have neutralised 16 Naxalites and recovered a massive cache of automatic weapons in an operation in Sukma. Under the leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi Ji, we are resolved to eradicate Naxalism before the 31st of March 2026. My appeal to those with arms is that weapons and violence cannot bring change; only peace and development can,” Shah wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Earlier in February, thirty-one Maoists and two security personnel were killed in a gunfight in the jungles of Indravati National Park in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier in February, thirty-one Maoists and two security personnel were killed in a gunfight in the jungles of Indravati National Park in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district.
{{/usCountry}}This had marked the largest ambush on Left Wing Extremists this year, bringing the 2025 death toll to 81.
The strike followed an anti-Maoist operation launched by security forces on Friday, which culminated in the encounter around 8 am, said Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range), Sunderraj P.
He added that the operation was initiated after specific intelligence regarding the presence of insurgents from the National Park Area Committee of the CPI (Maoist).
With PTI inputs