New Delhi: In a 28-hour long, meticulously planned operation, security personnel Friday gunned down 28 suspected Maoists in the dense Abujmarh forest between Narayanpur and Dantewada districts of Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region.
What could be one of the biggest anti-naxal operations carried out in the state came together after Narayanpur district officials received intel about a meeting of top-level commanders of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), and training of cadres Thursday. Within hours, nearly a thousand personnel of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Special Task Force were assembled for the onslaught.
The Maoist commanders and cadre were first trapped within a 10-km radius, it is learnt. A fierce gunbattle followed, beginning Friday afternoon and ending late evening. The operation may resume Saturday.
Police sources said security forces had to trek 25 kilometres to reach the spot where the gunbattle occurred.
Friday’s encounter comes as part of the central and state governments’ unprecedented crackdown on Maoists in Chhattisgarh. So far this year, security forces have killed more than 180 cadres including some top commanders, some of whom had a bounty of around Rs 25 lakh on their heads.
This operation comes a little over a month after Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during a visit to Raipur said that the time had come to deal a “ruthless, final blow” to Maoism, and vowed that Left Wing Extremism would be eradicated in India by March 2026.
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28 hour-long operation and counting
Senior Chhattisgarh police officer said the entire operation was planned after officials in Narayanpur district received intelligence inputs about the presence of top Maoist cadres in the Abujmarh forest around Govel, Nendur and Thulthuli villages.
“After verifying the inputs, a force comprising nearly 1,000 personnel from DRG from Narayanpur and Dantewada were dispatched while STF personnel were deployed to ensure proper encirclement of the area,” a senior police officer said.
Another police officer said that initially, an encirclement of nearly 10 kilometres was established by personnel, trapping Maoists cadre and leading to the operation.
“The exchange of fire began around 3 pm Friday and lasted till late evening. The search party has not come back yet with the bodies. The exchange of fire could well resume tomorrow morning based on the presence or absence of Maoists in the area who are sheltering due to darkness in the dense forest,” another officer said.
“The search parties included local police and STF, and the operation went on all night. Till now the casualty is 28 but the number is expected to rise. The search operation is still on,” said another source in the state police.
According to this source, because the monsoons just got over, the jungle is full of dense bushes, which is making it challenging for the search parties.
Asked whether the slain Maoists had been identified, police officers maintained it’s too early considering the volatile nature of the operation and darkness that prevails in the Abujmarh forest.
“We are yet to identify those who were killed. We suspect that there are key commanders who were eliminated as a training session was on in the area. It is a big blow to them. Identification should begin tomorrow morning,” the source quoted above said.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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