Operation Sankalp, one of the biggest counter-insurgency actions launched in the Bastar region, involves around 24,000 security personnel from different units including District Reserve Guard, Bastar Fighters, Special Task Force, all units of state police, CRPF and its CoBRA unit
OdishaPlus Bureau
Close on the heels of Operation Sindoor, on Wednesday, security forces killed 22 Naxalites in a clash in the forests of Bijapur district, Chhattisgarh, near Telangana during ‘Operation Sankalp’, a large counter-insurgency effort, according to a senior police official. The gunfight started in the morning in the Karregutta hills forest along the state border. So far, 22 Naxalite bodies have been found, and a search operation is ongoing.
The identities of the deceased have not yet been confirmed. With this incident, the total number of Naxalites killed under Operation Sankalp since April 21 has reached 26. This operation is one of the largest counter-insurgency efforts in the Bastar region, involving around 24,000 security personnel from various units, including the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Bastar Fighters, Special Task Force (STF), state police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and its elite unit CoBRA.
The operation started after reports indicated the presence of high-ranking members from Battalion No. 1, the most powerful Maoist group, as well as the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee and the Telangana state committee of Maoists. On April 24, three women Naxalites from the PLGA battalion no. 1, each with a reward of Rs 8 lakh, were shot dead in the Karregutta hills, resulting in the seizure of a large stockpile of weapons, explosives, and other materials.
On May 5, another woman Naxalite was killed in a clash with security forces in the region. The area, characterized by thick forests and hills, is thought to be the stronghold of the Maoist battalion No. 1, according to police officials. “Reports indicate that many senior Maoist leaders were either killed or severely injured during this operation, but their associates managed to pull them into the forest,” he stated.
Officials reported that many Naxal hideouts and bunkers have been destroyed during the operation, along with a large amount of explosives, detonators, medicines, and other supplies being seized. Six security personnel, including a member of the CoBRA unit, were injured in various pressure IED blasts, but all are safe and receiving treatment in hospitals. This year, 168 Naxalites have been killed in different encounters in Chhattisgarh, with 151 of them in the Bastar division, which includes seven districts like Bijapur.
