In a fierce 24-hour gun battle in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district, security forces neutralised three Naxalites during a large-scale counter-insurgency operation.
The encounter also claimed the life of an elite police commando, while another officer sustained injuries.
The gunfight erupted in the dense forests near Phodewada village on the Gadchiroli-Narayanpur border after intelligence confirmed the presence of insurgents from Company No. 10 of the banned CPI (Maoist). Acting on the tip-off, the Maharashtra Police’s elite C-60 commando unit deployed 14 teams under the leadership of the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) for Bhamragad.
During the operation, 38-year-old commando Deepak Chinna Madavi, a resident of Aheri, attained martyrdom after sustaining injuries in the firefight. He was airlifted to Bhamragad Sub-District Hospital but succumbed to his wounds. Another commando, Joga Madavi of Kishtyapalli, was injured by gunfire but is reported to be out of danger after evacuation.
Search and combing operations continue in the Abujhmarh forests to ensure no other armed cadres remain hidden in the terrain. Authorities are awaiting further details on recoveries and the circumstances of the firefight.
Decline of Left Wing Extremism
The incident comes amid a reported decline in Left Wing Extremism (LWE). Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai informed Parliament that since 2019, security forces have arrested over 7,400 Naxalites, while 5,880 have surrendered.
Government data shows an 88% drop in violence, with annual incidents falling from 1,936 in 2010 to just 234 in 2025. In the last year alone, 364 Naxalites were neutralised. The insurgency, once widespread, is now confined to isolated pockets, with only eight districts affected as of December 2025, and three classified as “most impacted.”
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