In a significant security operation, at least 14 Naxalites were killed in an encounter with police in Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband district on Tuesday. Among those killed was Jai Ram alias Chalpathy, a senior Maoist commander carrying a bounty of Rs 1 crore on his head. The gun battle occurred along the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border during a fierce exchange of fire. Authorities described the operation as a major success, with SP Rakhecha highlighting that the death of a Central Committee (CC) member of the banned Maoist organization was a rare and notable achievement, as such leaders are seldom arrested or killed in encounters.
The encounter was part of an ongoing operation that began on January 19 based on intelligence about Maoist presence in the Kularighat reserve forest, located just 5 kilometers from Odisha’s Nuapada district. A joint team comprising personnel from the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), CoBRA unit, and Odisha’s Special Operation Group (SOG) was deployed to the area. Earlier on Monday, two women Naxalites were killed, and one CoBRA jawan sustained injuries during an exchange of fire in the same operation. A fresh round of gunfire erupted late Monday night and continued into early Tuesday morning in the dense forest under the Mainpur police station limits.
Security forces recovered a large cache of firearms, ammunition, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), including a self-loading rifle, from the encounter site. Officials stated that the number of Maoist casualties could rise as search operations continue in the area. The successful operation is considered a significant blow to Maoist activities in the region, as authorities intensify efforts to curb insurgency along the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border.
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