31 Maoists killed in Chhattisgarh gunfight, 2025 toll now 81

The strike adopted an anti-Maoist operation by safety forces which started on Friday, inspector common of police (Bastar Vary) Sunderraj P stated, including that the encounter came about round 8am. The IG stated the operation was launched after safety forces obtained particular inputs in regards to the presence of insurgents from the Nationwide Park Space Committee, of the CPI (Maoist).

“A workforce comprising district reserve guard (DRG), Bastar fighters, particular activity drive (STF), and different items moved in direction of the nationwide park space in Bijapur on Friday. On Sunday, at round 8am, a fierce encounter broke out with the Maoists within the dense forest hills between the Maddeda-Farsegarh border space. The gunfight continued intermittently till 4pm,” stated the IG. The groups comprised 650 troopers.

The IG added that after the encounter, the groups recovered the our bodies of 31 hardcore uniformed Maoists, together with weapons and different supplies. “A big cache of weapons, together with AK47, SLR, INSAS rifles, .303 rifles, BGL launchers, and explosives, has been recovered from the encounter website,” Sunderraj stated.

Bijapur superintendent of police Jitendra Kumar Yadav stated that efforts had been on to determine the deceased insurgents. The 2 safety personnel who misplaced their lives within the battle had been recognized as DRG head constable Naresh Dhruv, who was a resident of Baloda Bazar – Bhatapar district and STF constable Wasit Rawate, a resident of Balod district. Their mortal stays have been delivered to Bijapur district headquarters, Yadav stated.

Quickly after the event, Union residence minister Amit Shah reiterated the Centre’s intention to eradicate LWE by March 31, 2026, saying “No citizen of the nation has to lose his life as a consequence of it”. “I reiterate my resolve that earlier than 31 March, 2026, we’ll fully eradicate Naxalism from the nation in order that no citizen of the nation has to lose his life as a consequence of it,” he wrote on X in Hindi.

He additionally condoled the dying of two troopers. “I specific my heartfelt condolences to the households of the martyred troopers,” he stated.

Two safety personnel additionally sustained minor accidents within the operation, recognized as DRG constable Jaggu Kalmu and STF constable Gulab Mandavi, and had been airlifted by the Indian Air Power and delivered to Raipur. They’re stated to be out of hazard, the officer stated.

Extra reinforcements, together with DRG, STF, Bastar fighters, and CRPF personnel have been deployed, police stated. “The safety forces in Bastar division have continued their profitable anti-Naxal operations in 2025, sustaining the momentum from 2024. Because of this, up to now 40 days, a complete of 65 hardcore Maoists have been killed,” the IG stated.

In keeping with Shah’s assertion, Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai expressed confidence that the state might be freed from Maoism by March 2026. He referred to Maoism as a “most cancers” that’s progressively being eradicated from the state and nation. “The sacrifice of our troopers won’t go in useless. I pray to God for the departed souls to relaxation in peace and supply power to the bereaved households, and for the speedy restoration of the injured jawans,” Sai stated in Raipur.

Deputy CM Vijay Sharma stated the nationwide park space in Bijapur was thought of a protected haven for Maoists, the place greater than 650 safety personnel entered from totally different sides.

Sunday’s ambush builds on the earlier aggressive operations carried out towards extremists within the area. The final operation the place over 30 Maoists had been neutralised was in October 2024, when 38 Maoists had been killed on the Dantewada-Narayanpur border.

Earlier in January, Maoists carried out an intense assault on safety personnel, killing 9 individuals in Bijapur, utilizing an improvised explosive machine to explode a automobile carrying members of the DRG and a civilian driver. It was the primary main strike on safety forces within the state in two years.

Following this, a sequence of operations had been carried out by safety forces within the area. On January 20, safety forces gunned down 16 Maoists within the jungle bordering Odisha. On January 16, 12 Maoists had been killed in an encounter in Bijapur. Later, Maoists, in an announcement, admitted that 18 cadres had been killed within the January 16 gunfight.

On January 20, safety forces gunned down 16 Maoists within the jungle bordering Odisha. A central committee member and senior Maoists had been killed within the encounter. On February 2, eight Maoists had been killed in a gunfight in Bijapur district.

Bijapur is a part of the Bastar division, which incorporates six different districts — Bastar, Dantewada, Kanker, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Sukma — that type the epicentre of Maoist insurgency. The federal government has deployed hundreds of forces to battle the rebels throughout the insurgent-dominated area generally known as the “Purple Hall”. In 2024, safety forces killed 219 Maoists in a string of high-profile encounters that aimed to push again extremists, take over their jungle hideouts and cripple their fortifications. Essentially the most killings have occurred in Bijapur, 61. The encounters are a part of a broader authorities offensive towards the Maoists, setting up roads and organising camps in districts and areas that had been as soon as affected by LWE.