RAIPUR: Two armed Maoist cadres were reported to have been killed amid the ongoing exchange of fire with security forces in the south-western forested terrain of Bijapur district, about 450 km south of Raipur on Saturday.
The forces have recovered a couple of automatic weapons including an AK-47 rifle from the encounter scene.
“Based on specific intelligence inputs about the presence of Maoist cadres in the forested terrain of south Bijapur, a joint team of District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF) and elite unit of CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) personnel launched a search operation early Friday. The intermittent firing ensued between the forces and the Maoists Saturday morning,” a police officer said.
According to the sources privy to the development, senior Maoist commander and Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee member (DKSZCM) Papa Rao was among the two dozen Naxalites present in the area. “Two bodies have been recovered by the forces,” the source informed, though official confirmation is awaited.
As the search operation remains underway, further operational details were not shared due to the safety concerns of the personnel engaged in the anti-Maoist campaign on the ground.
Last year Urmila, the wife of Papa Rao was killed in an encounter in Bijapur.
There has been no report of any security personnel sustaining injuries in the gun battle.
“The Bastar division has taken a firm resolve for the year 2026 to ensure the complete elimination of the remaining Maoist networks and to establish lasting peace and robust security”, said Sundarraj Pattilingam, Bastar Range inspector general of police
Early this month, two Maoists were killed in a gunfight with the security forces in the southern region of Bijapur district.
In Bijapur district, from January 2024 onward, a total of 876 Red rebels have joined the mainstream, 1126 Maoists have been arrested, and 225 Maoists were killed in separate encounters, a police officer said.
Bijapur remains one of the Maoist-affected districts in Bastar division and being cited as an epicentre of left-wing extremists in south Chhattisgarh.