31 Maoist bodies recovered in Op Sankalp on Chhattisgarh-Telangana border: Cops
RAIPUR: RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh police on Monday said they have recovered the bodies of 31 suspected Maoists during 'Operation Sankalp' in the dense forests surrounding the Karregutta hills along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border. It is not clear when the Maoists were killed. Bijapur superintendent of police Jitendra Yadav said that detailed information regarding the operation will be shared during a press briefing in Bijapur on Tuesday.
Police said they have identified 20 of the 31 deceased Maoists and 11 of the 20 identified bodies have been handed over to their families after post-mortem examinations and completion of other legal formalities.
'The identification process for the remaining 11 bodies is underway. Once the process is complete, their bodies will also be returned to their respective families,' said a statement issued by the Bijapur police.
On April 3, one woman Maoist was killed in the same operation, which is yet to be identified.
Earlier, on April 24, three women Maoists were gunned down in the same region, and a significant cache of weapons, explosives, and other materials was seized.
The operation in the area, named 'Operation Sankalp', started on April 21.
'So far, we have good operational outcomes in the ongoing anti-naxal operations in South -West Bastar. All security forces are safe and fully committed to ensuring a safe and secure Bastar region. As the operation is currently in progress, specific details cannot be disclosed at this time for security reasons. Authorised authorities will share further information at an appropriate time,' said a police officer on the condition of anonymity.
People familiar with the matter said that more than 280,00 troops were inducted in the operation and since April 21. around 35 encounters have taken place.
'We have recovered more than 400 IEDs and around 40 weapons along with approximately 2 tonnes of explosive materials,' said a police officer.
The operation, described as one of the largest counter-insurgency missions in Bastar, involves around 28,000 personnel from various units, including Chhattisgarh Police's District Reserve Guard (DRG), Bastar Fighters, Special Task Force (STF), the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and its elite CoBRA unit.
Authorities launched the offensive following intelligence inputs about the presence of top Maoist leaders, including those from the Telangana state committee and the heavily armed 'battalion number 1'—regarded as the strongest military wing of the Maoists.
According to police, the Karregutta hill range serves as a stronghold for the battalion. Intelligence reports suggest that several senior cadres have been either killed or critically injured during the operation.
So far, hundreds of Maoist hideouts and bunkers have been destroyed, and large quantities of explosives, detonators, food supplies, and daily-use items have been recovered.
Six security personnel from STF, DRG, and CoBRA units sustained injuries in separate pressure IED blast incidents but are reported to be out of danger.
With the latest action, 168 Maoists have been gunned down in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh so far this year. Of them, 151 were eliminated in the Bastar division, comprising seven districts, including Bijapur.
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