A Naxalite was killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district on Saturday, according to officials. The incident occurred in the early morning during an anti-Naxalite operation in the forests near Tumalpad village, under the Chintagufa police station. A joint team comprising personnel from the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Bastar Fighters, both part of the state police and district force, were involved in the operation.
The Sukma police reported the recovery of a weapon and a large cache of Naxal-related materials from the site. The identity of the deceased Naxalite has yet to be confirmed, and search operations are ongoing in the area.
Additionally, four battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), consisting of 4,000 personnel, are set to be deployed in Bastar for anti-insurgency efforts. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during an inter-state coordination meeting in August, noted a 70% reduction in the deaths of security personnel due to Naxal violence, and expressed confidence that India would be free from Naxalism by March 2026.
