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A Maoist carrying a Rs 1 crore bounty was among 14 killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Gariaband district, officials said today.
Jayram alias Chalapathi, a member of the Maoists' Central Committee, was killed in the exchange of fire that took place late Monday night and early Tuesday in a forest along the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border.
A joint team of security personnel from the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), CoBRA from Chhattisgarh and Special Operation Group (SOG) from Odisha were involved in the operation.
The operation was launched based on intelligence about the presence of Maoists in the Kularighat reserve forest of Chhattisgarh, just five kilometres from the border of Odisha's Nuapada district.
A large cache of firearms, ammunition and IEDs, including a self-loading rifle, were recovered from the encounter site, an official said.
A massive search operation is underway in the area.
Amit Shah On Maoist Encounter
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who has vowed to eradicate Maoists by March 2026, called the fresh encounter "another mighty blow to Naxalism".
"Our security forces achieved major success towards building a Naxal-free Bharat. The CRPF, SoG Odisha, and Chhattisgarh Police neutralised 14 Naxalites in a joint operation along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border," he posted on X.
Another mighty blow to Naxalism. Our security forces achieved major success towards building a Naxal-free Bharat. The CRPF, SoG Odisha, and Chhattisgarh Police neutralised 14 Naxalites in a joint operation along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border. With our resolve for a Naxal-free…
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) January 21, 2025
"With our resolve for a Naxal-free India and the joint efforts of our security forces, Naxalism is breathing its last today," Mr Shah added.
Over 200 Maoists Killed In 2024
More than 200 Maoists were killed by security forces in Chhattisgarh in 2024. Among 219 Maoists killed last year, 217 were from the Bastar region, which comprises Bastar, Dantewada, Kanker, Bijapur, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Sukma districts.
Over 800 Maoists were also arrested, while about 802 laid down their arms.
About 18 security personnel lost their lives in the fight against Maoists in 2024, while the number of civilians killed in Maoist violence stood at 65.