How security forces struck deep inside hostile territory to conduct Chhattisgarh’s largest anti-Naxal op

It was this pinpoint coordination that went into the azygous largest Maoist brushwood successful Chhattisgarh’s 24-year past — the toll stood astatine 31 connected Saturday — conducted without the information forces suffering a azygous casualty.

Importantly, it came heavy wrong Abujhmad, agelong considered a Maoist stronghold and a cardinal absorption country successful the combat against Naxalism.

In fact, of the 188 Maoists killed this year, astatine slightest 100 person been gunned down successful Abujhmad, constabulary say.

Inspector General of Police for Bastar Range, Sundarraj P, told The Indian Express that adjacent to 50 anti-Maoist operations were undertaken this twelvemonth arsenic portion of “Maad Bachao Abhiyan (Save Maad campaign)” — including 9 large operations since April.

“This year, a bid of anti-Naxal operations were conducted successful the halfway of Abhujmad arsenic good arsenic successful its periphery. These operations person dealt a important stroke to Maoist activities successful the region. The nonsubjective is to guarantee Maoists don’t get immoderate harmless portion successful Abhujmad oregon immoderate different portion successful Bastar. Now their enactment and cadres are near with lone 1 enactment – to shun unit and articulation the mainstream,” helium said.

Security forces present assertion to person covered astir 50 percent of Abujhmad — a mostly unsurveyed onshore that’s bigger than Goa.

A portion earlier Friday’s brushwood was planned, the State Intelligence Branch (SIB) had provided the information forces circumstantial inputs connected the beingness of elder Maoist cadres astir Tultuli colony successful Abujhmad, astir 50 kilometres from Dantewada headquarters. It was suspected that members of institution fig 6 and platoon 16 of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) — an equipped helping of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoists) — and elder members of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) were contiguous there.

A coordinated onslaught was planned by the District Reserve Guards (DRG) from Narayanpur and Dantewada districts, on with the STF.

The biggest situation was to motorboat an cognition crossed Indravati river, wherever determination are nary constabulary camps.

According to sources, the information unit trekked the region connected an amavas (no moon) night, and had to beryllium mindful not to measurement connected improvised explosive devices, the astir unsafe limb successful the Maoist arsenal.

“The DRG jawans person been portion of galore deadly encounters and their acquisition of conducting nighttime operations was a large advantage. They carried 10-15 kg of worldly connected their shoulders. Due to the monsoon, h2o successful the stream and the nullahs had not receded, adding to the difficulties of walking successful hilly terrain, but our jawans showed bravery,” said SP, Dantewada, Gaurav Rai.

ASP Rajanala told The Indian Express, “My biggest situation was to support my men motivated arsenic we knew the force is beardown and dense occurrence is expected. The institution fig 6 of PLGA is their (Communist Party of India Maoist’s) 2nd champion squad aft battalion 1. We knew the firepower they had and 1 mistake could pb to galore casualties.”

Before sunrise, the forces managed to situation the Maoists, forming a ellipse with a circumference of 5-6 kilometres.

The brushwood began astir Friday noon and firing went connected for 7 to 8 hours, ending lone astatine 8 pm. Over 2,000 bullets and hundreds of grenades were fired astatine the information forces, officials said. A jawan suffered a splinter wounded and was evacuated from the spot.

According to sources, the rebels made a azygous enactment and tried to compression retired by continuously firing connected 1 broadside of the information cordon, but the forces retaliated and foiled the attempt.

By Saturday, 15 Maoists had been identified, with officials saying they person a full bounty of Rs 1.3 crore connected them.

A elder constabulary serviceman said these Naxals – 18 men and 31 women – were progressive successful sidesplitting astir 50 jawans successful Bastar implicit the past 2 decades.

The astir precocious illustration sanction is Niti alias Urmila, a DKSZC subordinate and erstwhile eastbound Bastar part successful charge, with a bounty of Rs 25 lakh. She is the 4th DKSZC subordinate to person been killed this year.

Aged astir 46, Niti had been portion of the Naxal organisation since 1998. DKSZC is the Naxals’ state-level committee and is 3rd successful the hierarchy, beneath the cardinal level committee and the politburo.

An LMG, 4 AK57 rifles, six SLR rifles, 3 INSAS rifles and 2 .303 rifles were recovered from the Naxals, isolated from rifles of different calibre rifles and locally made weapons, including grenade launchers.

Sundarraj said that successful 2024, information forces person “succeeded successful neutralising 188 Naxals”, portion 706 person been arrested and 733 person surrendered.