Two members of the Central Reserve Police Force’s CoBRA unit were killed when Naxalites detonated an improvised explosive device in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district on Sunday. The incident occurred near Timmapuram village, targeting a truck carrying security personnel on patrol duty. A separate encounter between security forces and Naxalites is also underway in the area.
Eight Naxalites were killed in a gun battle with security forces in a forest along the Narayanpur-Bijapur inter-district border in Chhattisgarh. The encounter began on Thursday and continued into Friday morning. Security forces recovered eight weapons, including arms and ammunition, from the slain Naxalites. This brings the total number of Naxalite fatalities in the state to 113 so far this year in separate encounters with security forces.
In a major crackdown, two naxalites were killed in an exchange of fire between the outlawed CPI (Maoist) and security forces in Odisha’s Boudh district. The incident occurred in the Parhel Reserve Forest under Kantamal police station on April 25, when left-wing extremists launched indiscriminate fire on patrolling personnel of the Special Operation Group, a special anti-naxal force. The security forces retaliated, resulting in the deaths of two naxalites. The deceased have not yet been identified, and a massive combing operation is underway to apprehend any fleeing naxals. According to Odisha’s Additional Director General of Police (Operation), arms grenades and other articles were recovered from the forest, and the operation is ongoing.
In a significant development, 18 Naxalites, including a militia platoon section commander and three women, have laid down their arms in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh. The surrendered individuals were identified as Hidma Oyam, the Hurrepal Panchayat Militia Platoon section commander, Sambati Oyam, a deputy commander of HPMP, Gangi Madkam, vice president of Kakadi Panchayat Krantikari Mahila Adivasi Sangthan, and Hungi Oyam, a member of the cultural wing of CPI (Maoists).
