Three Maoists, including a woman, were gunned down in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district on Thursday morning, taking the total toll of Maoists killed in the state to 503 in the last two years.
The encounter broke out early in the morning, around 5 am, between the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Maoists in a forest area around 150 kilometres away from Sukma headquarters and towards the Telangana border, under the jurisdiction of Golapalli police station.
“Three bodies have been found so far and the search operation by Sukma DRG and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is still underway. We have recovered weapons,” said Kiran Chavan, Superintendent of Police for Sukma district.
“As per preliminary information, three Maoist cadres of the Kistaram Area Committee were neutralised during the encounter,” said an official. After Union Home Minister Amit Shah set a deadline of March 2026 to eradicate Naxalism from the country, a surge has been seen in the operations by security forces.
This year, 284 Maoists have been killed in Chhattisgarh, including 255 in the Bastar region. Last year, 219 Maoists were killed in the state, including 217 in the Bastar region.
Though encounters are still going on, the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) has become a headless organisation in Chhattisgarh now. The party has suffered huge setbacks, with senior dreaded leaders like Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju, the general secretary of the party, and nine CC members, including military leader Madvi Hidma, being killed in encounters.
The three central committee members left in the outfit are Ganesh Uikey, based in Odisha; Mallaraji Reddy alias Sangram, based in Chhattisgarh but currently out of the state; and Analda alias Toofan, based in Jharkhand.
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Among the three Politburo members, Thippari Tirupati alias Devji and former general secretary Mupalla Laxmanarao Ganapathy have fled Chhattisgarh, while Mishir Besra alias Bhaskar is based in Jharkhand. Politburo members Venugopal Rao alias Sonu and Pulluri Prasad Rao alias Chandranna surrendered before the police.
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
