Naxal stronghold under fire: 12 Maoists eliminated in fierce Chhattisgarh operation

Chhattisgarh: In a major blow to Maoist insurgency, security forces neutralized 12 Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district during an intense gunfight. The operation, conducted on Friday, involved a joint team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF), the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and its elite CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) unit. This latest crackdown comes just a week after another encounter in the same region, where eight Maoists were killed on January 31.

Coordinated Assault to Eliminate Maoist Presence

Acting on intelligence inputs regarding the presence of Maoist cadres from the West Bastar division, security forces launched a planned offensive. Officials confirmed that the operation was aimed at dismantling the insurgent network in the dense forests of Bijapur, a known Maoist stronghold. The encounter marks a significant development in the ongoing battle against left-wing extremism in the region.

Government's mission to eradicate naxalism by 2026

The recent operations align with the Indian government’s commitment to ending Naxalism by 2026. Home Minister Amit Shah had reiterated this objective on January 6, following the tragic loss of eight DRG jawans and a driver in an IED blast in Bijapur. The attack, carried out by Maoists, occurred on the Bedre-Kutru Road when the security personnel were returning from a mission.

Biggest Maoist attack in two years

The January 6 ambush was the deadliest Maoist strike on security personnel in the last two years. Reports indicate that the DRG jawans from Dantewada were returning in a Scorpio after a joint operation involving forces from Dantewada, Narayanpur, and Bijapur districts. The attack evoked memories of the April 26, 2023, assault in Dantewada, where 10 police officers and a civilian driver were killed after their convoy was targeted by Maoist rebels.

Amit Shah vows retaliation

Reacting to the loss of security personnel, Home Minister Amit Shah took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to express his grief. “It is impossible to express this grief in words, but I assure you that the sacrifice of our soldiers will not go in vain,” he stated. The central government has vowed to intensify operations in Maoist-infested regions to eliminate the insurgency once and for all.