Chhattisgarh Encounters: 14 Maoists Killed in Sukma and Bijapur
Chhattisgarh Encounters: 14 Maoists Killed in Sukma and Bijapur
Security forces say 14 Maoists were neutralised in back-to-back encounters in Sukma and Bijapur, with a large weapons cache recovered and key commanders linked to a police killing eliminated.
In the latest anti-Naxal operation in southern Bastar, security forces say 14 Maoists were killed in separate encounters in Sukma and Bijapur — 12 in Sukma and 2 in Bijapur. The anti-insurgency operation began early Saturday as DRG teams pressed the search in forested pockets. Intermittent firing was reported from Bijapur around 5 am, with Sukma following from about 8 am.
During searches at the encounter sites, a large cache of weapons was recovered, including AK-47s, INSAS rifles and SLRs. Officials said exact locations and other operational details could not be disclosed due to security concerns as the operation is still underway.
Among those killed in Sukma was Sachin Mangtu (DVCM) of the Konta Area Committee, police sources said. They also claimed that the Maoist commanders linked to the killing of Konta ASP Akash Rao Girepunje had been neutralised during the ongoing operation.
Sukma SP Kiran Chavan and Bijapur SP Jitendra Yadav were supervising ground operations as combing and search efforts continued in surrounding areas to rule out any remaining cadres. Officials stressed that further details would be shared after the search and combing phase is concluded.
