Forces raze memorials in Maoist citadels

On February 9, security forces killed 31 Maoists in Chhattisgarh, destroying memorials to erase insurgent influence as part of a crackdown strategy.

On February 9, security forces gunned down 31 Maoists in the jungles of Indravati National Park in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, inflicting the highest single-day toll on the insurgency at the time. After an eight-hour gunbattle involving at least a thousandparamilitary and police personnel, the forces recovered the bodies of 31 uniformed Maoists, along with a large cache of weapons, including AK47s, SLRs, INSAS rifles, .303 rifles, BGL launchers, and explosives.

A Maoist memorial being demolished at Tamil Batti village in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh.HT PHOTO (HT)

But that’s not all the forces found. “After the encounter,