Trying to extract comrade from Hawk Force custody, Naxals start fierce gunfight in Madhya Pradesh

The operation to capture Sajanti took place on Thursday, when the Hawk Force received intelligence about the presence of Naxalites from the KB Division in the Parasatola-Chichrangpur forest area near Baihar police station, police said.

“Acting on a tip-off, the Hawk Force Special Operation Group launched a search operation in the dense forest. During the search, two suspicious individuals were spotted, and after a brief pursuit, one of them, identified as Sajanti, was apprehended. However, another Naxalite managed to escape,” said a senior police officer.

While returning with Sajanti, the “police team came under heavy fire from Naxalites attempting to free their comrade”, the officer said.

Approximately 30-40 rounds were fired at the police, and they fired back, forcing the attackers to flee, according to the officer. “A large-scale search operation, involving teams from the CRPF Cobra and Hawk Force, is currently underway to apprehend the fleeing Naxalites,” the officer said.

According to police, Sajanti, from Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district, is “an active member of the KB Division’s Khatia Mocha Area Committee since 2016 and joined the Naxal organisation in 2011″. A pistol with a magazine, and other items were recovered from her possession, police said.

Sajanti has allegedly been involved in numerous criminal activities across Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra since her induction into the Naxal fold.

“She has six criminal cases registered against her in Madhya Pradesh, and efforts are ongoing to gather details of cases filed in other states,” the officer said.

According to police, this arrest is the fourth major success in anti-Naxal operations since December last year.

In December 2023, Madkam Hidma alias Chaitu, a high-profile Naxal, was killed. This earned promotions for 24 police officers. Another major operation on April 1, 2024, saw two other high-profile Naxalites killed, leading to promotions for 25 officers involved in the encounter. In July 2024, the Hawk Force killed Sohan alias Ukas, another Naxalite with a Rs 14-lakh bounty.

Since 2022, the number of Naxalites killed has surpassed the total number killed in the previous 20 years.

In the last five years, 20 Naxalites carrying rewards have been killed in various encounters with police in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh, police said.