22 Maoists Killed in Separate Encounters in Chhattisgarh, Amit Shah Calls it a “Major Success”

Twenty-two Maoists were killed in two separate encounters in Chhattisgarh, officials reported on Thursday. The first encounter took place in Bijapur district, where 18 Maoists were gunned down. In the second clash, four Maoists were killed in Kanker district by a joint team consisting of the Border Security Force (BSF) and the District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel from the state police. One police jawan also lost his life during the encounter in Bijapur.

A joint team had been deployed in the border areas of Bijapur and Dantewada districts under the Gangalur police station as part of an ongoing anti-Maoist operation. Clashes and search operations are still underway in the region as authorities continue to look for more bodies. In addition, a large cache of weapons and ammunition was recovered at the encounter sites.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah reacted to the encounter on the social media platform X, calling it a significant achievement. “Today our soldiers have achieved another major success in the direction of 'Naxal Mukt Bharat Abhiyan'. 22 Naxalites were killed in 2 separate operations of our security forces in Bijapur and Kanker of Chhattisgarh,” Shah wrote. He added, “The Modi government is moving forward with a ruthless approach against Naxalites and is adopting a zero-tolerance policy against those Naxalites who are not surrendering despite all the facilities ranging from surrender to inclusion. The country is going to be Naxal-free before 31 March next year.”

This operation follows another deadly encounter in Bijapur on February 9, where two security personnel and 31 Maoists were killed in the forests near the National Park area. In February alone, security forces arrested 18 Naxalites and recovered explosives. More than 81 Maoists have died in 2025 so far.