Several organisations have written to President Draupadi Murmu urging her to intervene and ensure military operations are halted, a ceasefire declared, and peace talks initiated in the Maoist-dominated tribal regions of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand.
In a tragic incident, a Chhattisgarh Armed Forces (CAF) constable, Manoj Pujari, was killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast triggered by Maoist insurgents in the dense forests of Bijapur district.
Days before Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s scheduled visit to Chhattisgarh, the outlawed CPI (Maoist) has issued a press statement proposing peace talks, urging the government to halt security operations in Maoist-affected regions.
The bodies of all slain Naxal insurgents have been recovered, while one District Reserve Guard (DRG) jawan, Raju Oyami, was martyred.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Saturday reaffirmed the state’s uncompromising stance against Maoist insurgency, declaring, “Our policy is clear- respond to dialogue with dialogue, and bullets with bullets.”
Security forces have dealt a significant blow to the Maoist insurgency in the dense Dandakaranya region along the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border.
The security forces gunned down 12 Maoist insurgents in an intense day-long encounter near the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border on Thursday. The joint operation involved over 1,500 personnel from the District Reserve Guard (DRG), COBRA units and the CRPF, targeting Maoist strongholds in the tri-junction of Dantewada, Bijapur, and Sukma districts.
Two security personnel sustained injuries in the explosion of an improvised explosive device (IED) triggered by Maoists during an area domination operation in the Basaguda region of the Bijapur district, southern Chhattisgarh.
The Odisha police have busted an ammunition dump suspected to have been used by Maoists for illegal manufacturing and repair of weapons along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border in the Malkangiri district, a senior police officer said on Sunday.
The attack, targeting a vehicle carrying security personnel, underscores the persistent challenges posed by Maoist insurgency in the region.
