2 Maoists killed near Odisha border; automatic weapon recovered, 4 IEDs defused

This takes the number of alleged Maoists killed in encounters in Chhattisgarh this year to 28. Nine jawans and a civilian driver, too, have died during this time.

The gunfight broke out at 8 am at the Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve, around 70 km away from the headquarters of Gariaband district and 20 km away from the Odisha border, officials said.

The joint operation involved the Gariaband police, the Central Reserve Police Force, the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) and Odisha’s Special Operation Group.

Officials said the two deceased women belonged to the Sonabeda-Dharambandha Committee while the jawan was from CoBRA.

“The Maoists attacked us with an automatic weapon and barrel grenade launchers (BGLs). They had planted four IEDs, which we detected and defused. We have found the automatic weapon. Our jawans are returning,” Gariaband SP Nikhil Rakhecha told The Indian Express.

This is the second encounter in the district this year. On January 3, one Maoist was killed in an encounter in Gariaband. In the previous episode, police seized BGLs and a rifle.

In November 2023, during the second phase of elections in Gariaband, an Indo-Tibetan Border Police member was killed and another suffered injuries in an IED blast triggered by Maoists. Around 50 of the personnel were returning with a six-person polling team from a remote village about 50 kilometres away from the Gariaband district headquarters.