3 Maoists killed in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur in first encounter after ceasefire appeal

The exchange of fire took place around 9 am beyond the Indravati river in Bhairamgarh, a hardcore Naxal area in Bijapur surrounded by Dantewada district and Abujhmad in Narayanpur district.

“Two Maoists were gunned down in the operation. Our troops are safe. Intermittent firing is going on,” said an official. The operation was undertaken by troops of the Central Reserve Police Force’s (CRPF) Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) as well as the Special Task Force (STF) and District Reserve Guard (DRG) which jointly acted on inputs indicating the presence of Maoists in the area.

With this, a total of 137 Maoists have been killed this year in various encounters in the state, including 121 killed in the Bastar region.

During his visit to Dantewada district on April 5, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had addressed Maoists as “brothers”, appealing to them to drop weapons and join the mainstream. Days before the visit, the Maoists had offered a ceasefire under the condition that the construction of new police camps should be stopped. In another letter, the Maoists said they were willing to have peace talks but added that “the government has dismissed our conditions, making it unfeasible”.

On Thursday, Chhattisgarh Home Minister Vijay Sharma said the peace talks will be unconditional, provided the Maoists wish to return to the mainstream. He said all their doubts regarding police cases and their rehabilitation will be cleared during the talks. He also guaranteed their safety as well as that of their representatives. “I am ready to speak even with one or more Naxals through any channel,” said Sharma.