Security Forces Eliminate 22 Maoists In Two Separate Encounters In Chhattisgarh

In a big success for security forces against Left Wing Extremism in Chhattisgarh, 22 Maoists were eliminated in two separate encounters in the state's Bastar region on Thursday (20 March), reported The Indian Express. 

The operations took place in the dense forests of Bijapur, Narayanpur, and Kanker districts, where Maoists have continued to maintain a stronghold despite sustained security crackdowns.

The first encounter erupted around 7 AM in the Gangaloor police station area of Bijapur district, near the Dantewada border.

Acting on specific intelligence about the presence of Maoists in the region, security forces had launched a search operation.

The encounter involved intermittent firing for hours, said Inspector General of Police for Bastar Range Sudarraj P.

Eighteen maoists were gunned down in the encounter while a jawan from the District Reserve Guard lost his life.

Several weapons and explosives were recovered from the site as search operations continued.

In the second encounter in the jungle area on the border between Narayanpur and Kanker districts, also in the Bastar region, a joint team of DRG personnel from Kanker district and the Border Security Force (BSF) engaged in a gunfight with Maoists near Koroskodo village, under Chhotebethiya police station. 

Four Maoists were killed in the encounter, and security forces recovered an automatic rifle and other weapons from the encounter site.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, Maoists triggered an IED blast in the dense forests of Abujhmad in Narayanpur district at around 3 am on Thursday (20 March) targeting a security forces operation.

"Due to the blast, dust went into the eyes of a jawan and an officer. Both have been evacuated and are safe,” an officer was quoted as saying by IE.

The operations are still ongoing.

Chhattisgarh has witnessed intensified anti-Maoist operations in 2025, with 105 Naxals killed in encounters so far this year. 

A total of 13 jawans as well as 16 civilians have also been killed in the violence.

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