Five Maoist gunned down in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur

Bijapur | Correspondent : Security forces have reported the killing of five Maoists in an encounter at Indravati National Park in Chhattisgarh’s Maoist-affected Bijapur district, including two women.

Bastar IG Police Sundarraj P stated that a security forces team launched a search operation yesterday after receiving intelligence about the presence of suspected Maoists inside the park.

On Sunday morning, the team reached the Bandepara-Koranjed forest area in Maddeed, Bhopalpatnam, where an encounter with the suspected Maoists ensued. The confrontation lasted until the evening.

During the operation, security forces recovered the bodies of five suspected Maoists, including three men and two women in uniform. The identity of the deceased has not been confirmed.

In addition, authorities reported the recovery of several weapons, explosives, and other materials associated with Maoist activities, including an SLR and a BGL launcher.

For the past year, security forces have been conducting a special operation in Chhattisgarh, during which they claim to have killed more than 210 suspected Maoists.

However, on January 6, nine individuals—eight jawans and one civilian—were killed in Bijapur when they encountered a landmine planted by suspected Maoists. Additionally, on Friday, a villager died in a Maoist IED blast, and on Saturday, a CRPF jawan was injured in a similar attack.