At least 28 Maoists were killed by security forces in a gunfight in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region on Friday (October 4, 2024), according to the police. No security personnel were injured in the operation.
The gunfight began around 1 p.m. in the Abujhmad area of Narayanpur district in the left-wing extremism-affected Bastar region. At 8 p.m., the police provided the final number of bodies recovered, after which Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai congratulated the forces in a post on X.
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“In a fierce encounter between security forces and Naxalites in the border area of Narayanpur and Dantewada districts, reports suggest that 28 Naxalites have been killed. This major achievement by our brave soldiers is commendable. I salute their courage and indomitable spirit,” the CM said.
Arms found
In a statement issued earlier in the day, the police said that a joint team of security forces from Dantewada and Narayanpur set out on an operation after receiving specific information about the presence of Maoists in Abujhmad, a largely unsurveyed area in southern Bastar. The clash broke out around 1 p.m., after which firing continued at regular intervals.
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An AK47 rifle, a Self Loading Rifle (SLR) and other weapons were found at the site of the encounter, police said.
Heavy casualties
After Friday’s (October 4, 2024) operation – the second biggest in terms of casualties inflicted by the State this year and in the conflict zone’s history – the number of Maoists killed by the forces in 2024 has shot up to 185.
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There has been a surge in anti-Naxal operations since the new BJP government came to power in December 2023. Mr. Sai’s post on X added: “Our fight to eliminate Naxalism will only end when we achieve complete success, and for this, our double-engine government is fully committed. The eradication of Naxalism from the state is our ultimate goal.”
In a later media interaction, he appealed to the Naxalites to shun violence and join the mainstream and reiterated Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s assertion that Naxalism would be eliminated from the State by March 2026.
The Opposition Congress in the State also congratulated the forces, with its spokesperson Sushil Anand Shukla claiming that the confidence building measures carried out by the previous Congress government in the State had allowed the forces to set up their camps and gain a foothold in Naxal areas. Mr. Shukla added that there should not be any questions raised about the encounter by villagers as has been the case in past incidents.
Published - October 04, 2024 07:04 pm IST
