Dantewada, Chhattisgarh: Security forces in central India scored another major success in their ongoing campaign against Maoist insurgents after a gun battle in the forested border area of Dantewada and Bijapur districts. A wanted Maoist carrying a bounty of ₹500,000 was killed during the encounter, police said Thursday.
According to officials, the operation was launched after credible intelligence indicated that Maoist cadres had stockpiled weapons and logistical material in the dense forest and hilly terrain between the villages of Gumalnar, Girsapara and Nelgoda under the Gidam police station area.
A joint team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Bastar Fighters was dispatched under the supervision of Dantewada Superintendent of Police Gaurav Rai and Deputy Superintendent of Police (Anti-Naxal Operations) Rahul Kumar Uyke. The security personnel began an intensive search operation in the area during the night.
Police said that around 8:30–9:00 p.m. on Wednesday, a group of 8–10 armed Maoists belonging to the Bhairamgarh Area Committee ambushed the advancing security team and opened indiscriminate fire using automatic weapons. The attackers allegedly intended to kill the security personnel and loot their weapons.
Despite the sudden assault, the security forces quickly took tactical positions and warned the insurgents to surrender. When the Maoists continued firing, the forces retaliated in self-defense. Following the exchange of fire, most of the insurgents fled the scene taking advantage of the darkness, dense forest cover and rugged terrain.
During the subsequent search operation, security forces recovered the body of a male Maoist identified as Rajesh Punem, an active member of the Bhairamgarh Area Committee. Authorities said he was a resident of Burji village in the Gangloor police station area of Bijapur district and carried a reward of ₹500,000 on his head.
Security personnel also recovered a large cache of weapons and ammunition, including an SLR rifle, an INSAS rifle, a pistol with magazine, a walkie-talkie set, multiple magazines, live rounds, empty shells and other Maoist-related materials.
Officials confirmed that all members of the security team returned safely to Dantewada district headquarters after completing the operation while maintaining caution against possible improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and ambushes in the area.
Police said the operation is part of an intensified campaign to eliminate Maoist influence in the Bastar region ahead of the end of the financial year. Authorities reiterated their commitment to making the region free of Maoist insurgency while ensuring peace and development.
Recent Maoist Encounters in Chhattisgarh
Security forces have conducted several major anti-insurgency operations in recent years:
2026
- Feb 5: Maoist leader Udham Singh of the South Bastar Division Committee killed in Bijapur’s Tarrem forests.
- Jan 29: Two Maoists killed in Bijapur; an AK-47 rifle and a 9mm pistol recovered.
- Jan 17–18: Six Maoists, including four women, killed in an encounter in the Bijapur National Park area.
- Jan 3: Twelve Maoists with a combined bounty of ₹6 million killed in Sukma.
2025
- Nov 12: Six Maoists killed in Bijapur National Park.
- May 21: Twenty-eight Maoists, including top leader Basavaraju, killed.
- May 15: Thirty-one Maoists killed in an encounter at Karregutta Hill in Bijapur.
- April 12: Three Maoists killed near the Dantewada-Bijapur border.
- March 31: A woman Maoist carrying a ₹4.5 million bounty killed in an encounter in the same region.
Security officials say the sustained operations are gradually weakening Maoist networks across the Bastar division.