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In one of the biggest operations against Maoists in Chhattisgarh, security personnel killed 28 Maoists n a fierce encounter in the Bastar region on Friday, a top police official said, as the Bharatiya Janata Party government pushed ahead with its goal of eradicating Left-Wing Extremism.
This was the second highest fatalities suffered by Maoists in a single operation since the state's creation 24 years ago and the offensive comes more than five months after 29 Maoists, including higher-ranking cadres, were gunned down in an encounter with security personnel in Kanker district.
A jawan of the state police's District Reserve Guard sustained injuries in a blast in a shell of Under Barrel Grenade Launcher fired by Maoists during the gunfight, the official said.
The gunfight broke out at around 1 pm in the forest between Thulthuli and Nendur villages in Abhujmaad on the Narayanpur-Dantewada inter-district border, when a joint team of security personnel was out on anti-Maoist operation, inspector general of police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P told PTI over the phone.
Personnel belonging to the DRG from Dantewada and Narayanpur and Special Task Force were involved in the operation which was launched on Thursday afternoon based on inputs about the presence of Maoists belonging to their company No. 6 and east Bastar division on the hills of Gavadi, Thulthuli, Nendur and Rengawaya villages, he said.
The input was about the presence of DKSZC (Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee) member Kamlesh and other senior cadres like Neeti, Nandu and Suresh Salam, the IPS officer said.
The area is considered a stronghold of the Indravati area committee, PLGA (People's Liberation Guerilla Army) company No. 6 and Platoon 16 of Maoists, he informed.
Sundarraj informed that so far bodies of 28 Maoists have been recovered from the encounter site and ground reports suggest three to four more Maoists may have also been killed.
As per preliminary report, high-ranking cards were among the deceased, he said.
A reinforcement of CRPF was rushed to the site and a search operation was still underway, he said.
Along with the 28 bodies, a cache of weapons, including an AK-47 rifle, one SLR (self-loading rifle), one INSAS rifle, one LMG rifle and one .303 rifle were also recovered from the encounter spot, the IGP said.
DRG jawan Ramchandra Yadva sustained injuries after being hit by a shell of BGL and he has been shifted to hospital, Sundarraj said, adding his condition was stated to be out of danger.
Earlier, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Gaurav Rai had said around 30 Naxalites were killed in the gun battle.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, who assumed office in December last year, hailed security forces for carrying out a successful operation and said the 'double engine' government (BJP government in the state and at the Centre) is determined to eliminate the Naxal menace.
"There is news of 28 Naxalites being gunned down in an encounter with security forces in the border area of Narayanpur-Dantewada districts. The great success achieved by the soldiers is commendable. I salute their courage and valour," said the CM in a post on X.
"Our fight to eliminate Naxalism will end only after reaching its conclusion. Our double engine government is determined for this.
Eliminating Naxalism from the state is our aim", he added.
After the latest encounter, 185 Maoists have been gunned down by security forces in separate gun battles in the Bastar region comprising seven districts, including Dantewada and Narayanpur, so far this year, police said.
On April 16, as many as 29 Naxalites, including some higher-ranking cadres, were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Kanker district.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during his visit to Chhattisgarh in August, had said India will be free from Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) by March 2026 and a robust and ruthless strategy was required to launch the final assault on the menace..