In a big swoop against Maoist militancy, security personnel in Chhattisgarh have gunned down 30 Maoists in two fierce gun battles that commenced on Thursday morning in the Bastar district.
The first was conducted along the Bijapur-Dantewada border and the second along the Kanker-Narayanpur border. Although this was a big success for the security forces, it was achieved at the expense of the life of a courageous District Reserve Guard (DRG) jawan who got martyred in the firefight.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah appreciated the efforts of security forces, pointing to the killing of 22 Maoists in the two operations. He also tweeted on X, describing the operation as a huge success in the ongoing campaign 'Naxal Mukt Bharat Abhiyan' (Naxal-free India campaign), with an aim to make India "naxal-free" by March 31, 2024.
According to a police source, 26 Maoists were killed in the Bijapur encounter, while four were eliminated in Kanker. Security forces have recovered the bodies of the slain Maoists along with a significant cache of automatic weapons, marking a major blow to the insurgents.
In a different incident, two jawans were injured by a blast from an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in the Thulthuli village on the Narayanpur-Dantewada border. Both jawans are stable and undergoing treatment.
The operations were launched on the basis of intelligence reports about a large Maoist gathering in the Gangaloor region. Security personnel launched the combined operation along the Dantewada-Bijapur border and reached the Andri region on Wednesday, which resulted in the encounter beginning early Thursday morning.
These concerted operations are a demonstration of the resolve of the security forces to break Maoist strongholds and bring peace to the area, which has been insurgency-plagued for years.
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