Gariaband (Chhattisgarh) [India]: Fourteen Naxals were killed in an intense encounter with Chhattisgarh police at the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border on Monday, according to an official statement from the Chhattisgarh Police. Among those killed was a high-ranking Naxal leader with a bounty of ₹1 crore on his head.
The encounter is still underway, and further details are awaited.
The recent operations follow a series of Naxal-related incidents in the region. On January 17, two Border Security Force (BSF) jawans sustained injuries after Naxals triggered an improvised explosive device (IED) in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district. The incident occurred in the morning when a BSF road-opening party was deployed between Camp Garpa and Garpa village. Narayanpur SP Prabhat Kumar confirmed the incident, stating that more information would be shared later.
A day earlier, on January 16, two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans were injured in a pressure IED blast planted by Naxalites near Putkel village under the Basaguda police station in Bijapur district.
Additionally, on January 12, five Naxalites, including two women, were killed during an encounter with security forces in Bijapur. The operation led to the recovery of several automatic and other weapons, explosives, Maoist literature, and other materials from the forests in the National Park area of Bijapur district. The recovered weapons included an SLR rifle, a 12-bore rifle, two single-shot rifles, a BGL launcher, and a locally made Bharmar gun.
Regarding the January 16 South Bastar encounter, IG Bastar P Sundarraj reported, “Bodies of 12 Naxalites, including 5 women, were recovered. The encounter occurred at 9 pm between security forces and Naxalites. A large cache of arms and ammunition was also seized. We are steadily advancing in our mission to combat Naxalism.”
These consecutive operations underscore the intensified efforts of security forces to address the ongoing Naxal insurgency in the region.