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Security forces have killed 31 suspected Maoists since April 21 in Chhattisgarh’s Karregutta hills as part of a counter-insurgency operation, announced Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday.
This was arguably the largest anti-Maoist operation launched by Indian security forces, and comes at a time when the insurgent Communist Party of India (Maoist) has repeatedly expressed its willingness to participate in peace talks.
The operation involved 24,000 troops of the District Reserve Guard, the Bastar Fighter Force, the Special Task Force, the Chhattisgarh Police, the Central Reserve Police Force and its Commando Battalions for Resolute Action.
Describing the operation as a “historic breakthrough”, Shah said he was “extremely happy that there was not a single casualty in the security forces”.
He claimed that the Karregutta hills were the headquarters of several Maoist organisations, “where along with Naxal training, strategies and weapons were also developed”.
“I congratulate our CRPF [Central Reserve Police Force], STF [Special Task Force] and DRG [District Reserve Guard] soldiers who faced the Naxalites with their bravery and courage even in bad weather and inaccessible mountainous area,” said the Union home minister. “The whole country is proud of you.”
At a press conference during the day, Central Reserve Police Force Director-General Arun Dev Gautam said that 28 of the 31 suspected Maoists killed have been identified, reported PTI.
Gautam claimed that the suspected Maoists carried a reward of Rs 1.72 crore on their heads.
“The forces have also seized a massive haul of weapons and destroyed four technical units of Naxals that used to manufacture weapons and IEDs [improvised explosive devices],” Vivekanand, additional director-general (anti-Naxal operations) of the Chhattisgarh Police, was quoted as saying.
With this, nearly 160 suspected Maoists have been killed in gunfights with security personnel this year. In 2024, 217 suspected Maoists were killed by security forces.
Malini Subramaniam has reported for Scroll that while many of those killed in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh in 2024 were declared by the police to be reward-carrying Maoists, several families dispute the claim. The families claim that the persons killed were civilians.
Two days after the launch of the counter-insurgency operation, which was titled ‘Mission Sankalp’, Subramaniam travelled to the foothills to observe it.
On April 23, near Palam village in Telangana, she saw a large pick-up van carrying what appeared to be bodies, wrapped in yellow plastic sheets – possibly, Maoist casualties.
Since March 28, the Communist Party of India (Maoist) has released four statements asking for a ceasefire.
“Despite the possibility of the problem being resolved through peace talks, the government is attempting to find a solution through violence and oppression,” the group stated on April 25. Taking note of the ongoing security operation, it added: “The operation should be halted immediately. The troops should be withdrawn. We request the government to resolve the problem through talks.”
The Union government has repeatedly vowed to eradicate “Left Wing Extremism” in the country by March 31, 2026.
Also read: As Maoists ask for ceasefire, security forces shell hills sheltering top insurgent leaders
This article first appeared on Scroll.in
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