Maoist carrying ₹1cr bounty among 14 killed in Chhattisgarh encounter
What's the story
At least 14 Maoists were killed in an ongoing encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Gariaband district near the Odisha border.
The operation was carried out by a joint team of Chhattisgarh's District Reserve Guard (DRG), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), CoBRA and Odisha's Special Operation Group (SOG).
Among the killed was Jai Ram alias Chalpathy, a Maoist commander with ₹1 crore bounty on his head.
Seizure report
Encounter yields significant seizure of firearms and explosives
The operation has led to the recovery of a huge cache of arms, ammunition, and IEDs. Two women Maoists were also among those neutralized on Monday.
A CoBRA commando suffered minor injuries in the gunfight on Monday and was airlifted to Raipur for treatment.
The number of casualties might rise as intermittent firing continues.
Anti-Naxalism pledge
Encounter part of broader crackdown on Maoists
This operation is part of a larger crackdown on Maoists, in line with the central government's promise to eliminate Naxalism by 2026.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had reiterated this promise after a deadly attack on January 6, where eight DRG jawans and one driver were killed in an IED blast in Bijapur district.
The recent encounter is one of the largest operations against Maoists this year.
Casualty count
Chhattisgarh records significant increase in Maoist casualties
It comes after another joint operation in forests of Gariaband district earlier this month in which one Maoist was killed and three jawans were injured.
With these latest killings, Chhattisgarh has recorded a total of 40 Maoist deaths this year.
Last year, 219 Maoists were killed in various encounters across the state.