A Maoist carrying a one crore rupees bounty was killed during an intense encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband district. The operation, which unfolded last night, also resulted in the elimination of 14 Maoists. Union Home Minister Amit Shah hailed the development as a ‘major success’ in the fight against insurgency.
Jayaram Reddy, a senior Maoist leader known by the alias Chalapati, was killed during an exchange of fire with security forces in a forested area along the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border.
Gariaband Superintendent of Police Nikhil Rakhecha confirmed that Reddy, a central committee member of the Maoists with a Rs 1 crore bounty on his head, was among those killed. The identities of the other deceased cadres are yet to be determined. The official also stated that intermittent gunfire is ongoing in the region, and the number of Maoist casualties may rise as the operation progresses.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah lauded the security forces for a successful joint operation that resulted in the killing of 14 Maoists along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border. The operation involved the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Odisha’s Special Operations Group (SOG), and Chhattisgarh Police.
“Another mighty blow to Naxalism. Our security forces achieved major success towards building a Naxal-free Bharat. The CRPF, SOG Odisha, and Chhattisgarh Police neutralised 14 Naxalites in a joint operation along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border,” Shah said in a post on X, commending the forces.
He further added, “With the resolve for a Naxal-free India and the joint efforts of the security forces, Naxalism is breathing its last today.”
A fresh exchange of fire between security forces and Maoists late Monday night and early Tuesday morning in a forest under the Mainpur police station area along the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border resulted in the killing of 12 more Naxalites, an official said.
This brings the death toll in the ongoing operation to 14. The operation, launched on January 19 based on intelligence about Maoist presence in the Kularighat reserve forest in Chhattisgarh, involved joint forces from the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), CoBRA, and Odisha’s Special Operations Group (SOG). The forest is located just 5 km from Odisha’s Nuapada district border.
The official confirmed that two women Naxalites were neutralized on Monday and that a significant cache of arms, ammunition, and IEDs, including a self-loading rifle, was recovered from the encounter site.
So far this year, 40 Maoists have been killed in various encounters across the state. On January 16, a gunfight in Bijapur district claimed the lives of 12 Maoists, with the insurgents later admitting that 18 cadres had died.
In 2023, security forces neutralized 219 Maoists in separate operations across Chhattisgarh, reflecting intensified efforts to combat insurgency in the region.
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