At least 5 Maoists Gunned Down By Security Forces In Chhattisgarh

The red corridor of Chhattisgarh once again shook with gunfire on Friday as security forces clashed with Maoists deep inside the dense forests of Abujhmad, straddling the Dantewada-Narayanpur border. In the fierce encounter that erupted in the morning hours, at least 5 to 6 Maoists are reported to have been killed, though intermittent firing is still underway.

According to officials, a joint team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) from Dantewada and Narayanpur had set out on a search operation in the troubled East Bastar Division when Maoists ambushed them. The jawans retaliated with heavy firepower, forcing the ultras to retreat. Dantewada SP Gaurav Rai confirmed the encounter, adding that bodies of several Maoists are yet to be recovered from the thick jungle terrain.

This latest encounter comes close on the heels of multiple high-voltage anti-Maoist operations across the Bastar region. On August 28, four Maoists were neutralised on the Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra border in Gadchiroli's Koparshi forests during a fierce exchange with the elite C-60 commandos. Weapons, ammunition, and Maoist literature were seized from the site.

Earlier, in May, Bastar witnessed one of the bloodiest anti-Maoist strikes in recent years when several Maoists, including top politburo leader Basava Raju (carrying a bounty of Rs 1.5 crore), were killed in a massive counter-insurgency operation. That came barely a week after the Karregutta operation, where security forces eliminated 31 Maoists after a 24-day pursuit in the hills straddling Chhattisgarh and Telangana.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah had, during his visits to Raipur and Jagdalpur in late 2024, categorically warned Maoists to either surrender or face annihilation. Setting a hard deadline of March 31, 2026 for the "complete eradication of Naxalism" from the country, Shah's remarks have added urgency to the ongoing security push in Bastar.

Officials point out that since Shah's declaration, security operations in the red zone have increased in both frequency and intensity, with a visible thrust on targeting top-rung Maoist leadership. In the past year alone, security forces have gunned down some of the biggest names in the Maoist hierarchy, shaking the very core of the insurgency, including ... Basava Raju, Politburo member and General Secretary, Rs 1.5 crore bounty (Andhra Pradesh), Jayaram alias Chalapathi, Central Committee Member, Rs 1 crore bounty (Andhra Pradesh), Renuka, Central Regional Bureau leader, Rs 45 lakh bounty (Telangana), Sudhakar alias Narasimhalam, Central Committee, Rs 1 crore bounty (Andhra Pradesh). Garlala Ravi, Central Committee, Rs 40 lakh bounty (Andhra Pradesh), Niti alias Nirmala, senior Dandakaranya cadre, Rs 25 lakh bounty (Chhattisgarh) and several others across Maharashtra, Odisha, and Telangana.

The latest encounter site Abujhmad is notorious as the Maoists' safest sanctuary, spread over 4,000 sq. km. of unmapped forests, caves, and hills. Often described as the "headquarters of the Red Corridor," it is from here that the CPI (Maoist) leadership strategises attacks across central India. For years, this area has remained out of bounds even for state officials, but security forces have now begun pushing deeper, triggering frequent clashes.