New Delhi:

A Maoist carrying a Rs 1 crore bounty was among 14 killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband district last night with Union Home Minister Amit Shah calling the operation a “major success”.

Jayaram Reddy, a senior Maoist leader also known as Chalapati, was killed in the exchange of fire that took place in a forest along the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border.

A joint team of security personnel from the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), CoBRA from Chhattisgarh and Special Operation Group (SOG) from Odisha were involved in the operation.

The operation was launched based on intelligence about the presence of Maoists in the Kularighat reserve forest of Chhattisgarh, just five kilometres from the border of Odisha’s Nuapada district.

A large cache of firearms, ammunition and IEDs, including a self-loading rifle, were recovered from the encounter site, an official said. A massive search operation is underway in the area.

Amit Shah On Maoist Encounter

Amit Shah, who has vowed to eradicate Maoists by March 2026, called the encounter “another mighty blow to Naxalism”.

“Our security forces achieved major success towards building a Naxal-free Bharat. The CRPF, SoG Odisha, and Chhattisgarh Police neutralised 14 Naxalites in a joint operation along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border,” he posted on X.

Another mighty blow to Naxalism. Our security forces achieved major success towards building a Naxal-free Bharat. The CRPF, SoG Odisha, and Chhattisgarh Police neutralised 14 Naxalites in a joint operation along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border. With our resolve for a Naxal-free…

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) January 21, 2025

“With our resolve for a Naxal-free India and the joint efforts of our security forces, Naxalism is breathing its last today,” Mr Shah added.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai also praised the security forces and said that under the double-engine government (the BJP government at the Centre and the state), Chhattisgarh will get rid of the Maoists by March 2026.

The security forces have been “continuously achieving success” and “moving rapidly” towards fulfilling the target, he said.

“This success of the soldiers is commendable. I salute their bravery,” Mr Sai posted on X.

About 40 Maoists have so far been killed in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh this year.

Chalapati: The Senior Maoist Killed In Encounter

Chalapati, who was a resident of Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor, was a senior member of the central committee of the Maoists, which is the highest decision-making body within the group. He was known for his activities in the dense forests of Abujhmad in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar.

Aged around 60, he relocated his base a few months ago due to the increasing frequency of encounters in the Abujhmad area and shifted near the Odisha border, seeking a safer operational zone, sources said.

Chalapati played a key role in strategizing and leading operations for the Maoists.

His security detail consisted of 8 to 10 personal guards.

Chalapati, who carried a reward of Rs 1 crore for information leading to his capture, was considered a high-value target by security forces.

Over 200 Maoists Killed In 2024

More than 200 Maoists were killed by security forces in Chhattisgarh in 2024. Among 219 Maoists killed last year, 217 were from the Bastar region, which comprises Bastar, Dantewada, Kanker, Bijapur, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Sukma districts.

Over 800 Maoists were also arrested, while about 802 laid down their arms.

About 18 security personnel lost their lives in the fight against Maoists in 2024, while the number of civilians killed in Maoist violence stood at 65.

New Delhi:

At least seven Maoists, including two female members, have been killed in an ongoing encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district today, officials said.

A huge quantity of weapons, including one AK 47, have also been recovered from the encounter site.

The encounter between Maoists and a joint security team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Special Task Force (STF) broke out in a forest at around 6 am today, officials said.

The security personnel had left for a Maoist operation in Abujmarh of the Narayanpur and Kanker border area on Monday. 

“An encounter took place between the police party and Maoists in the forest between village Tekmeta and Kakur. During the search of the incident site, the bodies of a total of seven Maoist cadres, including two female Maoists, were recovered and their identifications are underway,” an official said.

A huge quantity of arms and ammunition, including one AK 47, and items of daily use have been seized from the Maoist camp, the official said.

Earlier this month, security forces killed 29 Maoists, including a senior rebel leader – Shankar Rao, on whom there was a bounty of Rs 25 lakh – in a gunfight in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district.

The encounter took place on April 16 in the Hapatola forest between Binagunda and Koronar villages in Chhotebethiya.

This was the highest number of fatalities suffered by Maoists in a single encounter in the history of Chhattisgarh’s fight against Left Wing Extremism.

Amit Shah Warns Chhattisgarh Maoists

Union Home Minister Amit Shah last week issued a stern warning to Maoists in Chhattisgarh and asked them to surrender or else they will be rooted out from the state.

Speaking at an election rally in Kanker town on April 22, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said that in the last four months alone, about 90 Maoists have been killed in Chhattisgarh.

While 123 Maoists were arrested, 250 others surrendered (during this period), he said.

“Elect (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji for a third term and the menace (of Maoists) will be rooted out from Chhattisgarh in two years,” Mr Shah asserted.

“As long as there is Maoism, tribal brothers, and sisters will not have access to electricity, schools, ration shops, and hospitals. I would like to tell them (Maoists) to surrender, otherwise the result of the fight is certain. We will finish them. We will root out them from Chhattisgarh,” he said.