Security Forces Eliminate Nine Maoists In Encounter In Chhattisgarh's Bijapur District

In a significant operation, security personnel engaged in an anti-Naxal operation in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Tuesday, resulting in the elimination of nine Maoists. The encounter occurred in a forest near Lendra village around 6 am when a joint team of security personnel was on duty.

Bastar IG Sundarraj disclosed that the operation was initiated following a tip-off regarding the presence of a senior Naxal named Papa Rao, who carries a bounty of more than Rs 40 lakh.

The operation, which involved personnel from the District Reserve Guard, Special Task Force, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), was one of the largest in recent years.

During the encounter, security personnel seized several automatic weapons, including a light machine gun, and launched a search operation in the area.

Bijapur, situated in the Bastar region, is notorious for Maoist activity, with around 41 Naxalites killed in separate encounters with security forces in the region this year, as reported by PTI.

The timing of the encounter, just days before the Lok Sabha elections, adds significance, with the Bastar Lok Sabha constituency set to vote in the first phase on April 19.

Naxalite activities typically escalate from March onwards during their Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC), resulting in numerous attacks on security forces in the Bastar region during the March to June period. Last month, security forces encountered and neutralized six Naxalites in the Basaguda area of Bijapur."