On seeing the security forces, Naxals started firing. The security personnel retaliated and a gunfight broke out

metro india news  I hyderabad

As many as 17 Naxalites were killed in a fierce encounter that broke out between the security personnel and Naxalites in Chattisgarh's Bijapur district on Thursday. The encounter continued on Friday also with intermittent firing from both sides.

Police said bodies of 12 Naxals have been recovered till Friday, but it is estimated that 17 have been killed. The bodies of the Naxals have been brought to Nambi camp near Usoor, where the identification process is underway.

On Thursday morning information about presence of a large number of Naxals in the forests of south Bastar region, District Reserve Guard (DRG) of three districts, five battalions of CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action, an elite CRPF jungle warfare unit), and the 229th battalion of the CRPF started the operation. On seeing the security forces, Naxals started firing. The security personnel retaliated and a gunfight broke out.

The gunfight began in a forested area of southern Bijapur during an anti-Naxalite operation, officials said. An official of Bijapur Police said 12 Naxals were killed till Friday but the unofficial death toll reached 17.   An encounter broke out between the security forces and Naxalites in Indagaon police station area of Gariaband district, leaving three Naxals dead on January 3, 2025.

The second encounter of this year took place in the forests of Abujhmad on January 5, 2025. Personnel of DRG and STF of Dantewada, Narayanpur, Bastar and Kondagaon areas were on an anti-Naxal operation when the encounter broke out. Five Naxalites were killed, out of whom, two were women.

An encounter took place in the bordering area of Sukma-Bijapur districts and three Naxalites were killed on January 9. An encounter broke out between security forces and Naxalites in Maddeed police station area of Bijapur district and three Naxalites were killed on January 12, 2025. Around 165 Naxalites were killed in Bastar region in the year of 2024.