RAIPUR: Three cadres of CPI (Maoist) were killed in an exchange of fire with the security forces in Indravati region of the strife-torn Bijapur district, about 420 km south of Raipur on Saturday, the Bastar police said.
“Acting on specific intelligence inputs about the presence of Maoists along the forested terrain on the far side of Indravati river in Bhairamgarh, a joint team of security forces comprising CRPF, Commando Battalion for Resolute Action, Special Task Force (STF) and District Reserve Guard (DRG) was out on the anti-Maoist operation.
At around 9 AM, an encounter broke out between the ultras and the security forces. The intermittent firing and search operation in the area continues,” the police said.
The official said the bodies of three Naxalites and a cache of weapons and explosives were recovered from the spot.
The bodies are yet to be identified. There has been no report of any security personnel sustaining injuries in the encounter.
This year, 138 bodies of Maoists have been recovered so far in various encounters in Chhattisgarh including 122 killed in the Bastar division, comprising seven districts including Bijapur.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has declared that the country will be Maoist-free by March 31, 2026. In this context, the series of encounters against the left-wing extremists remains a part of the renewed strategy to free the Chhattisgarh state from the influence of Maoist.
Early this year on 9 February in one of the biggest offensives planned in Chhattisgarh, at least thirty-one Maoists in uniform were killed in the fierce gun battle with the security forces close to the core Indravati National Park region in Bijapur.
Bijapur, among the seven Maoist-affected districts in Bastar zone, is cited as an epicentre of Red rebels in south Chhattisgarh.
(With inputs from PTI)