Around 31 militants from the banned CPI (Maoist) were killed in an encounter with security forces on Sunday in Bijapur district, Chhattisgarh, which is about 400 km south of Raipur, according to police reports.
Two security personnel lost their lives, and two others were injured during the confrontation. The injured were airlifted by helicopter from the site of the encounter to Raipur for immediate medical attention and are reported to be out of danger.
The gunfight occurred in a forested area of Indravati National Park in the morning when a joint team from various security forces was conducting an anti-Naxalite operation. Efforts are ongoing to retrieve the bodies of the fallen security personnel and evacuate the injured.
The deceased militants’ bodies have yet to be identified, and a significant cache of weapons and explosives was recovered from the scene. Reinforcements have been dispatched to the area, and the search operations for the remaining Maoists have been intensified. This effort is part of a renewed strategy to eliminate the influence of the outlawed Maoists in Chhattisgarh.
Bijapur is one of the most heavily affected districts by Maoist activity in Bastar and is considered a stronghold for left-wing extremists in southern Chhattisgarh.
