Seven Maoists killed in 3 days of gunfight; activists say ‘staged’

Police reject the activists’ claims as baseless, maintaining that all actions were lawful and in strict accordance with operational protocols

A total of seven Maoists, including two top cadres, were killed in encounters with security forces in a major three-day operation against left wing extremism (LWE) in the forests of Indravati National Park in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh, police said on Saturday.

Mailarapu Adelu alias Bhaskar

While security forces have intensified the combing and area domination operations in the area considered a key Maoist stronghold bordering Telangana, human rights activists and groups claimed that the encounters part of the operation that began on Thursday (June 5) were “staged”.

Two top Maoist leaders —Sudhakar alias Gautam and Mailarapu Adelu alias Bhaskar — have been neutralised in the ongoing operation, involving personnel from the state police’s Special Task Force (STF) and District Reserve Guard (DRG) as well as the CRPF’s specialised unit CoBRA, police said in a statement.

“On Thursday, security personnel recovered the body of Sudhakar, a senior Central Committee member and a top-ranking ideologue of the CPI (Maoist). The following day, on Friday, Mailarapu Adelu alias Bhaskar — a prominent Maoist leader from Telangana — was found dead at a nearby location,” police said.

Bhaskar, according to police, was reportedly the secretary of the Mancherial-Komarambheem division of Telangana state committee member and carried a reward of ₹45 lakh ( ₹25 lakh from Chhattisgarh and ₹20 lakh from Telangana). Sudhakar carried a bounty of ₹40 lakh in Chhattisgarh.

Subsequent operations on Friday night and early hours on Saturday led to the recovery of five more bodies, including two women, whose identities are yet to be ascertained, police said, adding all of them are active cadres of the outlawed CPI (Maoist).

Meanwhile, several human rights activists and groups on Saturday claimed that the Chhattisgarh police killed Maoist cadres one-by-one in staged encounters after taking them into custody.

“Senior Maoist leaders including… Sudhakar and … Bhaskar were in police custody before being killed in staged encounters on Thursday and Friday respectively in the Indravati National Park area,” Telangana civil rights association alleged in a statement on Saturday.

Claiming he had information from multiple sources about Maoist leaders being in the custody of the Chhattisgarh police, association president Lakshman Gaddam said: “We demand they should be produced before the court.”

The association further claimed that several other senior Maoist leaders like Bandi Prakash, Indravati National Park area secretary Dilip, Maddeedu area secretary Seetu, Ramanna, Munna, Sunitha, Mahesh, and around 10 others remain in police custody and are at risk of being killed similarly. The body demanded that Maoists leaders be produced before a magistrate while calling for a ceasefire between LWE ultras and security forces.

Police, however, rejected the claims as baseless, maintaining that all actions were lawful and in strict accordance with operational protocols.

“In strict adherence to the constitutional mandate and legal framework of the Republic of India, the security forces remain committed to safeguarding the lives, rights and properties of the native population in the region. All operational activities are conducted in accordance with the provisions of law, ensuring due process, restraint, and accountability at every stage,” Inspector General of Police (IGP), Bastar Range, Sunderraj P said.

The senior police further said that any actions undertaken by the security forces during the course of operations are fully compliant with legal norms, standing operational procedures (SOPs), and the principles enshrined in the Constitution.

The IGP also warned against the spread of “unsubstantiated allegations, misinformation, or speculative narratives” that undermine the morale of the forces and mislead the public.

A huge cache of arms and ammunition, including two AK-47 rifles, has been seized in the operation, police said, adding that search and area domination operations were underway in the surrounding forested terrain to track remaining Maoist cadres and ensure complete sanitisation of the region.

A few security personnel have suffered injuries due to snakebite, honeybee sting, dehydration and other operational injuries during the operation and were provided medication, the statement said.

“The operation — part of an intensified crackdown on Maoist presence in the National Park area — continues with ground forces conducting search and flush-out operations across the surrounding forest terrain,” the statement added.