Raipur: In a significant operation, security forces killed at least seven Maoists in a gunfight on Thursday in a forest near Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district. The joint operation, involving the police forces of Narayanpur, Bastar, and Dantewada, was launched based on specific intelligence inputs, according to a report by the Hindustan Times.
The encounter began around 11 a.m. in the forest along the borders of Bijapur and Narayanpur districts. A statement from the Narayanpur police detailed that a joint team comprising the District Reserve Guard (DRG) from Narayanpur, Bastar, and Dantewada, along with the Special Task Force (STF), initiated the anti-Naxal operation on Wednesday night after receiving information about the presence of Maoist leaders from Platoon number 16 of the CPI (Maoist) and members of the Indrawati Area Committee.
“At around 11 a.m. on Thursday, an exchange of fire started. After the firing ceased, bodies of two Maoists were recovered by the Narayanpur police,” the statement said. The operation is being conducted in the Abujhmaad forest at the tri-junction of Narayanpur, Bastar, and Dantewada districts.
As the day progressed, additional bodies and weapons were discovered. “Two bodies were recovered by the Narayanpur police in the morning, while in the evening, Dantewada police, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Rahul Uike and DSP Ashish Netam, recovered five more bodies. Five weapons were also recovered, but the grade of weapons is yet to be ascertained,” Narayanpur police official Rai told the Hindustan Times. Additionally, two weapons were recovered by the Narayanpur police earlier.
The joint operation underscores the ongoing efforts by security forces to tackle Maoist insurgency in the region. The recovery of weapons and materials from the incident site is expected to provide further insights into the Maoist operations and assist in future counter-insurgency measures.
