Bijapur: In a major operation against left-wing extremism, security forces killed 31 Naxalites in an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur on Sunday. Two jawans also lost their lives in the fierce gunfight in the woods, officials said. Among the 31 deceased Naxalies, there are about 11 female members.
With this incident, 81 Naxalites have been gunned down by security forces in separate encounters in the state so far this year. The big anti-Naxal operation comes against the backdrop of Home Minister Amit Shah's ultimatum to Naxalism, wherein he has declared March 31, 2026, as the deadline for the complete elimination of Naxalims from Chhattisgarh.
Sunday's gunfight broke out at a forest in the Indravati National Park area in the morning when a team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxalite operation, a senior police official said.
“As per preliminary information, 31 Naxalites were killed in the gunfight,” he said. Intermittent exchange of fire was still underway in the area and further details were awaited, he added.
Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj P also confirmed the number of dead. He said a huge cache of weapons and explosives was also seized from the site.
Asked about the two security personnel who laid down their lives, the IG said one belonged to the state police's District Reserve Guard and the other was from the Special Task Force. Two other Jawans who suffered injuries in the encounter were airlifted to a better medical facility for treatment, he said, adding, "they are out of danger". Reinforcement has been rushed to the spot and search operation is still underway in the area, he added.
CM Sai expresses grief
In the Bijapur Naxal encounter, our brave soldiers killed 31 Naxalites at once. While killing the Maoists, two soldiers from Chhattisgarh were martyred and they were identified as Jawan Naresh Dhruv of Balodabazar Bhatapara and Wasit Raote of Balod. These deaths triggered a wave of mourning in the region. Martyr Wasit Raote's brother Uttam Kumar said that his brother was a very simple person and everyone in their village is sad about his death.
CM Sai has expressed grief over the martyrdom of both the soldiers. He has expressed condolences to the families of both the soldiers by releasing a message on X.
Amit Shah's Deadline For Eliminating Naxalism
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday reiterated that Naxals will be eradicated by March 31, 2026, and no citizen of the country has to lose his life due to it.
"I also reiterate my resolve that before 31 March, 2026, we will completely eradicate Naxalism from the country so that no citizen of the country has to lose his life due to it," he wrote on 'X' in Hindi. The home minister said in the direction of making India Naxal-free, the security forces have achieved a big success in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh.
नक्सल मुक्त भारत बनाने की दिशा में सुरक्षा बलों ने छत्तीसगढ़ के बीजापुर में बड़ी सफलता हासिल की है। इस ऑपरेशन में 31 नक्सलियों को ढेर करने के साथ ही भारी मात्रा में हथियार और विस्फोटक सामग्री भी बरामद की गयी है।
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 9, 2025
मानवता विरोधी नक्सलवाद को समाप्त करने में आज हमने अपने दो बहादुर…
Shah said the security forces have also lost two of its brave soldiers "in the effort to end anti-human Naxalism" and the country will always be indebted to these heroes. "I express my heartfelt condolences to the families of the martyred soldiers," he said.
It was in November last year that Shah said that his government would eliminate Naxalism from Chhattisgarh by March 31, 2026. “Modi ji has worked to free the country from terrorism and Naxalism. He worked to make the country prosperous and increase its respect in the world,” Shah said on November 15 during a rally in Maharashtra.
“Whatever (Naxal menace) is remaining in Chhattisgarh, we will end it by March 31, 2026,” Shah said.
81 Naxalites Killed in Chhattisgarh So Far This Year
Out of the 81 Naxalites gunned down in the state so far this year, 65 were killed in the Bastar division comprising seven districts, including Bijapur. Last year, 219 Naxalites were neutralised by security forces in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh, according to police.
The security forces have heightened their operations against left-wing extremism. Sixteen Naxalites were killed in the Gariaband district of the state between January 20 to 21.
Similarly, eight Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces in the Gangaloor area of Bijapur on February 1. According to the police, last year the security forces killed 219 Naxalites in different encounters in the state.
Read More
