New Delhi: A major exchange of fire in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Wednesday resulted in the deaths of at least twelve Maoists and three personnel from the District Reserve Guard. Two additional jawans sustained bullet injuries but are reported to be in stable condition following medical attention.
The encounter began around nine in the morning during a coordinated search operation in the West Bastar Division. Teams from the DRG units of Dantewada and Bijapur, along with the STF, CRPF and CoBRA, were participating in the mission when intermittent firing escalated into a heavy confrontation.
The fallen personnel have been identified as head constable Monu Wadadi and constables Dujaru Gonde and Ramesh Sodi. Reinforcements were immediately deployed to the encounter zone, and the area has since been sealed off to ensure continued operational control.
Security officials overseeing the region reported that anti-Maoist operations had been intensifying over recent days. Earlier this week, forces acting on specific intelligence launched an operation along the borders of Bijapur and Dantewada, which later led to a prolonged firefight. By early evening on Wednesday, twelve bodies of Maoist fighters were recovered from the site.
Authorities confirmed the seizure of several weapons, including SLRs, INSAS rifles, .303 firearms and assorted ammunition, indicating the presence of a well-armed group. Search operations are still underway in the surrounding forested terrain as teams attempt to trace additional movement and gather further intelligence.
The recent encounter adds to the rising number of Maoists neutralised in the state this year. With this incident, the total count has reached 270. Of these, 241 were killed in the Bastar division, which includes districts such as Bijapur and Dantewada. Twenty seven were eliminated in Gariaband under the Raipur division, while two were neutralised in the Mohla Manpur Ambagarh Chowki district of the Durg division.
Officials are expected to release further details once the ongoing search efforts conclude.
