4 Hrs Intense Operation, AK-47s Recovered, 29 Maoists Killed | Details of Bastar's Biggest Encounter

New Delhi: Ahead of the first phase of polling in Chhattisgarh, security personnel on Tuesday gunned down 29 Maoists in Kanker district. This has been termed as state's biggest encounter of the state carried out by the forces till date. 

At around 2 pm as a  joint team of the Border Security Force (BSF) and the state police's District Reserve Guard (DRG) was patrolling in the district, a fierce gun-battle broke out between the the forces and the Maoists in Hapatola forest between Binagunda and Koronar villages under Chhotebethiya police station limits. 

Polling in the Maoist-hit Bastar Lok Sabha seat will take place on April 19 in the first phase, while the Kanker constituency, part of the Bastar region, will vote in the second round of general elections on April 26.

Forces Share Details of the Operation 

Forces said that the operation was launched based on inputs about the presence of senior cadres of north Bastar division of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) Shankar, Lalita, Raju and others. The operation continued for more than 4 hours in which 29 maoists of a banned outfit were gunned down, said the Polie. 

“Yesterday, an encounter broke out between security forces and Maoists which lasted for around 4 hours. Teams of DRG and BSF cordoned off the area and as a result, 29 CPI Maoist bodies were recovered, out of which 15 were female and 14 were male,” said Bastar Range IGP Sundarraj Pattilingam. 

 Two BSF inspectors and one DRG trooper were injured in the gunfight. “In yesterday's encounter, our two soldiers were sent to Raipur for treatment; a BSF inspector, a DRG soldier and a BSF inspector. Two are out of critical situation and one is recovering; they are given better treatment in Raipur. Additionally, other injured staff are getting treatment at their places,” said the IG. 

Arms and Ammunitions including Ak47 IG Recovered 

IG said that arms and ammunition were recovered in large quantities from the spot. “Arms and ammunition were recovered in large quantities from the spot. AK-47, SLR, Insas and .303 rifles, were recovered from the spot,” said the IG Police. 

“All the Maoists are members of a banned outfit. I would request the remaining members of the outfit to surrender themselves and join the mainstream of society,” said IG Sundarraj, adding that autopsy of bodies of the Maoists are underway and the process of identification would be done by evening. 

Biggest Operation Till Date

This was the highest fatalities suffered by Maoists  in a single encounter in the history of the state's fight against Left Wing Extremism. Since the start of 2024, as many as 79 Maoists  have been killed in separate gun-battles with security forces in the Bastar region, a Maoist stronghold. After the latest encounter, 79 Maoists  have been killed in separate gun-battles with security forces in the Bastar region, comprising seven districts, including Kanker, so far this year. 

On April 2, as many as 13 Maoists  were killed, while six Maoists were gunned down on March 27 in encounters with security forces in Bijapur district.

Terming the encounter as a "surgical strike" by the Bastar police on Naxalism, deputy CM Sharma said, "It was for the first time on the anti-Naxal front that in a face-to-face fight, security forces were completely dominant over Maoists  and did not give them a chance to recover." "We want talks (with Maoists )....whether they do it in a group or through representatives. Bastar needs peace. We are committed to this," he added.