Sukma (Chhattisgarh), Nov 16: Three Naxalites, carrying a collective reward of Rs 15 lakh, were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district on Sunday, police said.
The gunfight broke out in the forested hills of Tumalpad village along the border of Bhejji and Chintagufa police station area in the morning when a team of District Reserve Guard (DRG) was out on an anti-Naxalite operation. They had inputs about the presence of Maoist cadres in the region, Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan told PTI.
The intermittent exchange of fire lasted for a long time, following which bodies of three Naxalites, including two women, were recovered from the spot, he said.
A .303 rifle, Barrel Grenade Launchers (BGLs), other weapons and explosives were also seized from the encounter site, the official said.
The killed ultras were identified as area committee member Madvi Deva, CNM (Chetna Natya Mandli- a cultural outfit of Maoists) commander Podiam Gangi and Kistaram area committee member Sodhi Gangi, both women, Chavan said, adding they all carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh each.
Deva, a sniper specialist and a dreaded member of Konta area committee of Maoists, was involved in the murder of several innocent civilians, the official said.
Search operation was still underway in the adjoining areas, he added.
Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj Pattilingam, said Naxalism is now in its final stage in the Bastar region, and Maoist cadres have no option but to shun violence and embrace the government’s rehabilitation policy.
A total of 233 Maoists, including central committee members, Dandakaranya special zonal committee members, and Peoples’ Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) cadres, have been killed so far this year in the Bastar range, comprising seven districts, including Sukma, he said.
With the latest action, 262 Naxalites have been killed in encounters in Chhattisgarh so far this year. Of them, 233 were eliminated in the Bastar division, while 27 others were gunned down in the Gariaband district, which falls in the Raipur division. Two Naxalites were killed in Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district in Durg division.
Last month, nearly 300 Naxalites surrendered in Chhattisgarh, while senior Naxalite Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Bhupathi and 60 other cadres laid down their arms in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district.
The Centre has resolved to eliminate Naxalism from the country by March 2026. (PTI)
