In another major blow to left-wing extremism at the start of the new year, security forces neutralised 14 Maoists in two separate gun battles in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma and Bijapur districts on Saturday morning. Twelve Maoists were killed in the Sukma district, while two were eliminated in the neighbouring Bijapur district.
The encounters, involving teams from the District Reserve Guard (DRG), occurred in the dense forests of the South Bastar region, a longstanding stronghold of Maoist insurgency.
According to Bastar Inspector General of Police P. Sundarraj, the operations were launched based on specific intelligence about the presence of armed Maoist cadres. The gunfight in Bijapur began around 5 a.m., with intermittent firing reported throughout the morning. In Sukma, the exchange of fire started later, around 8 a.m., in areas including the Kistaram forest.
When the team was moving through the forest in Sukma, the Naxals fired upon them, triggering a gunfight. 12 terrorists were killed in the encounter. Among the deceased was Sachin Mangdu, a senior leader and secretary of the Maoists’ Konta area committee under the Darbha Valley Committee (DVCM). Another identified cadre was Hunga Madkam from the Bijapur encounter.
Police sources indicated that the Konta area committee has been significantly weakened, with all its armed members reportedly eliminated. There are also reports that a commander linked to past attacks on security personnel, including the killing of an Additional Superintendent of Police, was among those neutralised.
Security forces recovered a large cache of weapons from the sites, including AK-47 rifles, INSAS assault rifles, self-loading rifles (SLRs), and ammunition. No casualties were reported among the security personnel, and search operations continued to sanitise the areas.
These clashes mark the first major anti-Maoist action of 2026, coming amid intensified operations ahead of the Union government’s March 31 deadline to eradicate Maoism, as set by Home Minister Amit Shah. In 2025 alone, over 285 Maoists were killed in encounters across Chhattisgarh, with significant surrenders further depleting their ranks.
Sukma and Bijapur remain among the most affected districts in the Bastar division, but officials described 2025 as a “decisive year” for counter-insurgency efforts, citing improved intelligence, area domination, and development initiatives.
