31 Maoists killed in Chhattisgarh gunfight, 2025 toll now 81

Thirty-one Maoists and two security personnel were killed in a gunfight in the jungles of Indravati National Park in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Sunday, police said, in the biggest ambush on Left Wing Extremists this year, which took the 2025 toll to 81.

- Ritesh Mishra

The strike followed an anti-Maoist operation by security forces which began on Friday, inspector general of police (Bastar Range) Sunderraj P said, adding that the encounter took place around 8am. The IG said the operation was launched after security forces received specific inputs about the presence of insurgents from the National Park Area Committee, of the CPI (Maoist).

"A team comprising district reserve guard (DRG), Bastar fighters, special task force (STF), and other units moved towards the national park area in Bijapur on Friday. On Sunday, at around 8am, a fierce encounter broke out with the Maoists in the dense forest hills between the Maddeda-Farsegarh border area. The gunfight continued intermittently until 4pm," said the IG. The teams comprised 650 soldiers.

The IG added that after the encounter, the teams recovered the bodies of 31 hardcore uniformed Maoists, along with weapons and other materials. "A large cache of weapons, including AK47, SLR, INSAS rifles, .303 rifles, BGL launchers, and explosives, has been recovered from the encounter site," Sunderraj said.

Bijapur superintendent of police Jitendra Kumar Yadav said that efforts were on to identify the deceased insurgents. The two security personnel who lost their lives in the battle were identified as DRG head constable Naresh Dhruv, who was a resident of Baloda Bazar - Bhatapar district and STF constable Wasit Rawate, a resident of Balod district. Their mortal remains have been brought to Bijapur district headquarters, Yadav said.