Eight Maoist insurgents including senior leaders, were killed in a fierce gunfight with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s insurgency-hit Bijapur district on Saturday.
The encounter began in the densely forested Todka area under Gangaloor police station limits and was still ongoing as of late afternoon, with reinforcements rushed to the site.
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Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundar Raj P confirmed the incident, stating that security forces had recovered all eight bodies of the slain Maoists.
Joint teams of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Special Task Force (STF) launched the operation based on intelligence reports of Maoist movements in the region.
Security personnel also seized automatic rifles, ammunition, and Maoist literature, indicating the group’s preparedness for prolonged combat.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai lauded the forces for their “precision and bravery,” reiterating his administration’s resolve to “eliminate Maoist terror.” He added, “Peace and development will prevail in Bastar.”
“The operation is part of our sustained strategy to dismantle Maoist strongholds in Bijapur. Our forces are on high alert,” said Bijapur SP Jitendra Yadav.
The Todka-Gangaloor corridor, a dense forest region bordering Telangana, has long served as a Maoist transit and training hub. Recent intelligence suggested heightened activity in the area, prompting the preemptive strike.
Bijapur, part of southern Chhattisgarh’s restive Bastar division, accounts for nearly 40 per cent of Maoist-related violence in the state.
Since 2023, security forces have intensified operations under the BJP government’s “zero tolerance” policy, leading to 265 Maoist casualties and 941 surrenders statewide.
