Chhattisgarh: Ten suspected Maoists killed in gunfight with security forces

Ten suspected Maoists were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband district on Thursday, PTI quoted Raipur Range Inspector General of Police Amresh Mishra as saying.

The gunfight broke out in a forest under Mainpur police station limits during a search operation that was launched after intelligence inputs indicated suspected Maoists were present in the area, The Indian Express reported.

“The Maoists discriminately opened fire on our forces after which we retaliated,” the newspaper quoted Mishra as saying. “The exchange of firing continued till evening. After the encounter ended, search operations were conducted and the bodies were found. Their identities are being ascertained.”

On July 27, four suspected Maoists were reportedly killed during a gunfight that broke out in a forest area of Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district.

In the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, more than 400 suspected Maoists had been killed in 2024-’25, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai had said in June.

In 2024, 217 suspected Maoists were killed by security forces in Chhattisgarh.

Malini Subramaniam has reported for Scroll that while many of those killed in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region in 2024 were declared by the police to be reward-carrying Maoists, several families dispute the claim. The families claim that the persons killed were civilians.

The Union government has repeatedly vowed to end Maoism by March 31, 2026.

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