3 Maoists killed in Chhattisgarh amid heightened anti-insurgency ops: Police
Dantewada police superintendent Gaurav Rai said an exchange of fire was triggered in a forest when security forces were out on an anti-Maoist operation launched on Monday
Three Maoists were killed in an exchange of fire with security forces along the border between Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada and Bijapur districts on Tuesday, a police officer said amid heightened anti-insurgency operations in Left-wing insurgency-hit state that have left over 100 rebels dead this year.
Dantewada police superintendent Gaurav Rai said the exchange was triggered in a forest when security forces were out on an anti-Maoist operation launched on Monday based on inputs of the Maoist presence in the area. “ ...we found three bodies of Maoists. An intensive search was ongoing at the site and surrounding areas,” Rai said. He said weapons and other material were recovered from the spot even as the identity of those killed was to be ascertained.
Over two dozen Maoists and a policeman were killed in twin gunbattles in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur and Kanker districts on Thursday last. There have been a series of anti-Maoist operations in Chhattisgarh as part of the Union government’s target to end Left-wing insurgency by March 31, 2026. In 2024, 219 Maoists were killed in Chhattisgarh, compared to 22 in 2023 and 30 in 2022.
Officials last week said 113 Maoists have been killed this year and 104 have been arrested across the country. Another 164 have surrendered, according to Union home ministry.
Bastar, Dantewada, Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur, Kondagaon, and Sukma in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar division are known as the epicenter of Maoist insurgency. Thousands of forces have been deployed there for the anti-Maoist operations in what is known as the “Red Corridor” to push back rebels, take over their hideouts in forests and cripple their fortifications.
A broader government strategy against the Maoists includes the construction of roads and developmental projects in Left-wing insurgency-hit areas. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to visit Chhattisgarh on March 30 to launch infrastructure projects and meet Maoist violence-hit people.
Security forces have created 17 new camps in previously core Maoist-controlled areas including a 4,000 square kilometre forested area straddling Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra—Abhujmad, which remains unmapped.
Difficult terrain, lack of infrastructure, and Maoist fortification have frustrated attempts to survey the region since 2017. Bastar is referred to as the last Maoist bastion because of an administrative vacuum. Top Maoists including the politburo and the central committee members are believed to be holed up there.
