By : Shrishti Mehra
Police recovered guns, a cache of explosives, and Maoist-related items at the encounter spots in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma and Bijapur districts.
Three Maoists were slain Saturday in two separate engagements with security officers in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma and Bijapur districts, according to authorities.
From each of the encounter locations, police have also retrieved guns, an explosives stash, and Maoist-related materials.
The identity of the Maoists slain in both engagements have yet to be determined, officials stated.
The first event happened early on Saturday in the Sukma district, close to Belpchcha hamlet.
According to Kiran Chavan, Superintendent of Police in Sukma, the incident happened close to Belpochcha hamlet while a combined security force was conducting an anti-naxal operation.
“The operation was launched on Friday night based on inputs about a gathering of Maoists in the forests of Belpochcha, Jinetong, and Uskawaya villages in view of their bandh call on May 26. The operation involved personnel belonging to the District Reserve Guard, Bastar Fighters, and district force,” he said.
In protest of the alleged bogus encounters, Maoists called a bandh in the Bastar area on May 26.
“As the patrolling team approached Belpochcha, the two sides exchanged fire. After the guns stopped, the officer added, “The body of a Maoist, a weapon, a cache of explosives, and Maoist-related materials were recovered from the spot.”
The second encounter occurred in a jungle near the Bijapur district’s Mirtur police station.
According to a Bijapur police statement, security forces killed two Maoists in the woods of Jammemarka and Kamkanaar village.
“An anti-naxal operation was carried out on Saturday with the participation of prominent Maoist officials, including Pandru, supply-in-change of the West Bastar Division of the CPI (Maoist), and another 15 Maoists camped in the forests. A unit from the district reserve guard (DRG) approached their tent and began firing. When the weapons stopped firing, two Maoist bodies were discovered, according to the statement.
The search is still ongoing, according to the Bijapur police.
“The bodies of the deceased have yet to be identified,” it stated, adding that the military are still in the woods.
With these instances, 116 Maoists have been killed this year in various confrontations with security forces in Chhattisgarh, greatly above the figure for 2023, when only 22 Maoists were slain.
Seven Maoists were killed Thursday in an encounter with security forces along the Narayanpur-Bijapur inter-district border.