Operation Sankalp: 22 Naxalites killed in encounter with security forces

Bijapur: Twenty-two Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces on Wednesday in the forests of Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district bordering Telangana during Operation Sankalp, a massive counter-insurgency initiative, a senior police official said.

The gunfight broke out in the morning in the Karregutta hills forest along the interstate border, he said.

“So far, bodies of 22 Naxalites have been recovered and a search operation was underway in the area”, he said, adding that the identity of the slain cadres was yet to be established.

With the latest encounter, the toll of Naxalites gunned down under Operation Sankalp since April 21 has climbed to 26.

Operation Sankalp, one of the biggest counter-insurgency actions launched in the Bastar region, involves around 24,000 security personnel from different units including District Reserve Guard (DRG), Bastar Fighters, Special Task Force (STF), all units of state police, Central reserve Police Force (CRPF) and its elite unit CoBRA.

The operation was launched based on inputs about the presence of senior cadres of battalion no. 1, the strongest military formation of Maoists, Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) and Telangana state committee of Maoists.

On April 24, three Naxalite women, belonging to the PLGA battalion no.1 of Maoists carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh each, were gunned down on the Karregutta hills, leading to the recovery of a huge cache of weapons, explosives, and other material.

On May 5, a Naxalite woman was killed in a gunfight with security forces in the area.

The area surrounded by dense forests and lined by hills is believed to be the base of the Maoist battalion no. 1, the police official said.

“The inputs suggest several senior-level Maoist cadres have either been killed or seriously injured during this operation, but their colleagues managed to drag them inside the forest,” he said.

The official said hundreds of Naxal hideouts and bunkers have been destroyed so far during the operation, and a huge cache of explosive material, detonators, medicines, and other items was seized.

At least six security personnel, including an official of the CoBRA unit, were injured in different incidents of pressure IED blasts. All the injured jawans are out of danger and are being treated in various hospitals.