Bijapur (Chhattisgarh): In one of the biggest blows to Maoist insurgency in the Bastar region this year, security forces eliminated 18 Naxalites in a fierce encounter in the dense Keshkutul forests of Bijapur district.
The toll rose from an initial report of 12 to 18 after thorough combing operations recovered six more bodies from the encounter site on Thursday morning.
The gun battle erupted on Wednesday when a joint team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF), CoBRA commandos of the CRPF, and local police, acting on specific intelligence, launched an anti-Naxal operation in the jurisdiction of Gangaloor police station.
Naxalites belonging to the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Company No 2, Bhairamgarh Area Committee, and Gangaloor Area Committee opened heavy fire on the advancing troops, triggering an intense exchange that lasted several hours.
Despite being outnumbered and facing automatic weapons and IED threats, the security forces retaliated effectively, neutralising 18 Maoists on the spot.
All bodies have been recovered along with a sizeable cache of weapons and explosives.
Identification of the deceased Naxalites is underway, and Bijapur Superintendent of Police Jitendra Singh Meena stated that names and ranks will be disclosed once the process is complete.
Large-scale search operations continue in the surrounding forests to trace any fleeing cadres.
Tragically, three brave personnel laid down their lives in the line of duty. Head Constable Monu Mohan Baddi, Constable Dukaru Gonde (posthumously promoted to Head Constable), and Jawan Ramesh Sodi of the District Reserve Guard made the supreme sacrifice while displaying exemplary courage.
Their mortal remains were brought to Bijapur headquarters on Thursday, where emotional tributes were paid at the Police Line Shaheed Vatika on the Bijapur-Gangaloor road.
Senior officers, jawans, and local citizens offered floral tributes and observed a two-minute silence in honour of the martyrs.
The successful operation marks yet another major achievement for Chhattisgarh Police and central forces in their sustained campaign against Left Wing Extremism in the region.
(IANS)
