Covering a distance of over 60 kilometres on foot through the jungles of Abujhmad and Indravati National Park in 48 hours, a joint team of security forces surrounded a group of around 45 Maoists on a hill.
Caught by surprise and with nowhere to go, the Maoists lost 31 of their cadre, including 11 women, in the ensuing gunfight, which also claimed the lives of two security force personnel.
The encounter, which took place on Sunday inside Indravati National Park in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, was one of the deadliestthat the Maoists have faced in the state.
Superintendent of Police for Bijapur district, Jitendra Kumar Yadav, said the two jawans – Head Constable Naresh Druv from District Reserve Guard and Constable Basit Ravte of the Special Task Force – had previously been part of over a dozen encounters.
On Sunday, they were part of a joint team comprising personnel from the DRG, STF and Bastar Fighters — all state-level forces specialising in anti-Maoist operations. The operation began Friday after information was received regarding the presence of Maoists in the national park.
A major challenge for the security forces was that they did not have any forward base camps in the area, from where the nearest police camp is around 30-35 km away.
“Carrying out anti-Naxal operations in tough terrain like the (Indravati) National Park and Abhujmad areas involves walking for more than 60 kilometres. This particular operation was mainly a conventional ground manoeuvring operation with certain innovative fieldcraft and tactics,” said Inspector General of Police for Bastar Range, Sundarraj P.
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The officer said back-to-back operations by security forces since 2023 have creating a dent among the Maoists and inflicted casualties among senior figures from the banned movement.
“All these years, the senior Naxal leadership used local cadres as human shields during exchange of fire and would flee from the spot by taking advantage of dense forest cover. But in the current scenario, due to better operational tactics of the security forces, senior Naxal cadres are unable to flee,” the IG said.
“This indicates that the Maoist formation is withering and the local cadres are no longer in a mood to risk their own lives to protect the senior cadres, who are mostly from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra,” said Sundarraj.
After Sunday’s encounter, the forces also recovered one AK47 rifle with three magazines and 56 cartridges; two SLR rifles with 2 magazines and six cartridges; an INSAS rifle with one magazine; one 303 rifle, a magazine and two cartridges; one 315 bore rifle, 30 cartridges, 13 bore guns and eight rounds; six Barrel Grenade Launchers (BGL) and 14 shells; four muzzle loading rifles; and nine IEDs.
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“We also recovered a BGL that is bigger than other BGLs used so far by Maoists. This bigger BGL is fixed on a stand to hold it, and a bigger grenade is fired from it. This type of weapon was recently used to attack one of our police camps,” Sundarraj said.
Five of the 31 killed Maoists have been identified so far. One of them was the secretary of the group’s West Bastar division, Hunga Karma (45), who had been involved in several attacks on forces.
“Hunga Karma had been active for at least the last two decades,” the IG said. A reward of Rs 8 lakh had been announced for information leading to his capture.
Jayprakash S Naidu is a Principal Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently serving as the state correspondent for Chhattisgarh. With an extensive career in frontline journalism, he reports on the political, security, and humanitarian landscape of Central India.
Expertise and Experience
Specialized Conflict Reporting: Jayprakash is a leading voice on the Maoist/Naxalite conflict in the Bastar region. His reporting provides a critical, ground-level view of:
Internal Security: Tracking high-stakes encounters, surrender programs for senior Maoist leaders, and the establishment of security camps in formerly inaccessible "heartland" villages.
Tribal Rights & Displacement: Investigative reporting on the identity and land struggles of thousands of displaced tribals fleeing conflict zones for neighboring states.
Governance & Bureaucratic Analysis: He consistently monitors the evolution of Chhattisgarh as it marks 25 years of statehood, covering:
Electoral Politics: Analyzing the shift in power between the BJP and Congress and the impact of regional tribal movements.
Public Policy: Reporting on landmark infrastructure projects (e.g., mobile connectivity in remote zones) and judicial interventions, such as High Court rulings on civil and family law.
Diverse Investigative Background: Prior to his current focus on Chhattisgarh, Jayprakash held reported from Maharashtra, where he specialized in:
Crisis & Disaster Management: Notable for his extensive coverage of the Cyclone Tauktae barge tragedy (P-305) and the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on frontline personnel.
Legal & Human Rights: Investigative pieces for platforms like Article-14, focusing on police accountability and custodial deaths across India.
Environmental & Social Justice: Authoritative reporting on the Hasdeo Aranya forest protests and the approval of major tiger reserves, highlighting the tension between industrial mining and environmental preservation. ... Read More
