Chhattisgarh:14 Naxalites gunned down in encounters in Bastar region

In Chhattisgarh, at least 14 Naxalites were killed in separate encounters with the security forces in Bastar region on Saturday. Security forces in Bastar’s Bijapur and Sukma districts recovered 14 Maoist bodies during ongoing anti-Naxal operations. Two bodies were found in Bijapur and 12 in Sukma. The encounters, involving DRG teams, began early morning, with intermittent firing reported. Weapons including AK-47s, INSAS, and SLR rifles were seized. Details of personnel and exact locations remain undisclosed until operations conclude.

An exchange of fire broke out in the forest of the southern region of Sukma district, where a team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxalite operation, a senior police official said. In Bijapur, a gunfight took place in a forest in the southern region of the district when a team of the District Reserve Guard, a unit of the state police, was out on a similar operation around 5 am, another official said.

The bodies of two Naxalites were recovered from the scene, he said. The intermittent exchange of fire was still underway, and further details were awaited, the official said. As many as 285 Naxalites were gunned down in separate encounters with security forces in Chhattisgarh last year.