Chhattisgarh: Nine maoists killed in Dantewada gunfight; joint operation of DRG,CRPF underway

Chhattisgarh: A joint team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) killed nine Maoists during an ongoing encounter in the Dantewada district on Tuesday, said officials.

With this incident, 154 Naxalites have been gunned down by the security forces in different encounters in Chhattisgarh so far this year, the police said, reported PTI. 

The operation began at 10:30 am, and is still underway. Following an intense gunfight, the bodies of nine naxalites, clad in uniform, were recovered from the spot, further stated the police. 

The officials said that the operation was based on intelligence inputs that indicated the presence of Maoists in the area.

According to a statement by the police, a large quality of weapons, including several varieties of rifles have been recovered.

“So far, nine Maoists have been killed, and a large quantity of weapons, including a Self-Loading Rifle (SLR), a .303 Rifle, and a .315 Bore Rifle, have been recovered from the spot,” read the police statement.

The statement also mentioned that all the jawans are safe, and more updates would be shared once the operation is complete.

Maoist violence reduced, says Govt.

Government data shows that between December 2023 and August 2024, 147 Maoists were killed in 104 gunfights, 723 were arrested, and 622 surrendered.

To bolster intelligence-based operations and support local authorities in development efforts in remote villages, the Union government has accelerated the establishment of ‘Forward Operating Bases (FOBs)’ in Maoist strongholds. Since December 2023, 33 FOBs have been set up, including four in Sukma, eight in Bijapur, two in Dantewada, four in Narayanpur, and one each in Kanker and Rajnandgaon.

In August 2024, the government reported to Parliament that the geographical extent of Maoist violence has decreased from 126 districts across 10 states in 2013 to 38 districts in nine states in 2024. The incidence of Maoist violence has dropped by 73% since 2010, the government said.

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