Five Naxalites Neutralized in Chhattisgarh Operations

Significant Naxalite Casualties in Bijapur

Bijapur, June 7: In a series of encounters with security forces, five Naxalites were killed during ongoing operations in the Indravati National Park region of Bijapur district, as reported by police on Saturday.

Over the past three days, a total of seven Naxalites have been eliminated, including prominent leaders Sudhakar and Bhaskar, according to officials.

A senior police official stated, "The bodies of seven Maoists have been recovered amid the anti-Naxal operations in the Indravati National Park area."

On Saturday, two bodies were retrieved following a gunfight, while three others were found after an exchange of fire that occurred late Friday night.

The operation, which commenced on June 4, involved personnel from the state police's Special Task Force (STF), District Reserve Guard (DRG), and the CRPF's specialized CoBRA unit, based on intelligence regarding the presence of Maoist leaders including Sudhakar and Bandi Prakash.

On Friday, security forces successfully neutralized Bhaskar alias Mailarapu Adellu, a member of the special zonal committee of the Telangana State Committee (TSC) of Maoists, who had a bounty of Rs 45 lakh, and Narasimha Chalam alias Sudhakar, a central committee member with a Rs 40 lakh reward.

The identities of five additional Naxalites, including two women, remain to be confirmed.

During the operation, a significant cache of weapons and ammunition was seized, including two AK-47 rifles. Ongoing search and area domination operations are being conducted in the surrounding forest to locate remaining Maoist cadres and ensure the region is fully sanitized.

Some security personnel have sustained injuries from snakebites, honeybee stings, dehydration, and other operational challenges, but they have received medical attention.

It is noteworthy that the general secretary of the outlawed CPI (Maoist), Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju, was neutralized in the Bastar region on May 21.

The central government has set a deadline of March 31, 2026, under Operation Sankalp, to eradicate Naxalism from the country.

A significant counterinsurgency operation took place on May 7 in Bijapur, resulting in the deaths of at least 22 Maoists.

Operation Sankalp, one of the largest counterinsurgency initiatives in the Bastar region, involves approximately 24,000 security personnel from various units, including the DRG, Bastar Fighters, STF, and the CRPF along with its elite CoBRA unit.