Two Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Saturday, police said.
The exchange of fire erupted in the morning in the forested hills of the district’s northwestern region, where a joint team of security personnel was conducting an anti-Naxalite operation following intelligence inputs about the presence of Maoist cadres, a senior official said.
“So far, the bodies of two Naxalites along with weapons have been recovered from the spot,” the official added, noting that intermittent firing was still underway and further details were awaited.
The action against the Naxals broke out in the forest and hilly areas in the northwestern region of the district, Bastar IG P Sundarraj informed. "An exchange of fire is underway between Naxalites and security forces in the forest and hilly areas of the northwestern region of Bijapur district. More details awaited," Sundarraj said as quoted by news agency ANI.
Earlier, on January 3, 14 Naxalites were killed in two separate encounters in the Bastar region, which includes Bijapur and six other districts. A total of 285 Naxalites were killed in encounters with security forces in Chhattisgarh last year. The Centre has set a deadline of March 31 to eliminate Left-Wing Extremism.
52 Naxalites surrender before police in Bijapur
Meanwhile, as many as 52 Naxalites, including 21 women, surrendered before the police in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Thursday, a senior official said. Of them, 49 were carrying a combined bounty of over Rs 1.41 crore.
The surrendered cadres were active in the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC), the Andhra–Odisha Border division, and the Bhamragarh area committee of the Maoists in Maharashtra, officials said.
They laid down their arms before senior police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officials under the “Poona” Margem (rehabilitation to social reintegration) initiative, Bijapur Superintendent of Police Jitendra Kumar Yadav said.
The official added that the cadres cited the state government’s surrender and rehabilitation policy as a key reason for their decision. Among those who surrendered, divisional committee member Lakkhu Karam alias Anil (32) and platoon party committee members Laxmi Madvi (28) and Chinni Sodhi alias Shanti (28) carried rewards of ₹8 lakh each. Thirteen other cadres had bounties of Rs 5 lakh each, 19 carried rewards of Rs 2 lakh each, and 14 carried bounties of Rs 1 lakh each, he said.
