Operation black forest: 31 Naxals carrying Rs 1.72 cr bounty eliminated in 21-day largest ever strike on Chhattisgarh-Telangana border

India Gazette

14-05-2025

By Rajnish Singh
Bijapur (Chhattisgarh) [India], May 14 (ANI): In a historic success in the resolve of a 'Naxal-free India,' the security forces have killed 31 Naxalites in the biggest-ever 21-operation against Naxalism, on the Karreguttalu Hill (KGH) at the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border.
A total of 214 Naxal hideouts and bunkers have been destroyed in the operation, and a total of 450 IEDs, 818 BGL shells, 899 bundles of Codex, detonators and a huge amount of explosive material have been recovered during the searches.
In addition, nearly 12,000 kilograms of food supplies have also been recovered.
As part of the operation, the security forces also destroyed four Naxal technical units that were being used for the production of BGL shells, homemade weapons, IEDs, and other deadly weapons.
During the operation, a large quantity of ration supplies, medicines, and daily-use items were also recovered from various Naxal hideouts and bunkers.
In the significant operation, a total of 18 personnel from Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), Special Task Force (STF) and District Reserve Guards (DRG) were injured in various IED explosions. All the injured personnel are now out of danger and are receiving the best possible treatment at various hospitals.
In a post on X, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the Karreguttalu Hill, which was once ruled by red terror, now proudly hoists the tricolour.
Karreguttalu Hill was the Unified Headquarters of major Naxal organisations like the PLGA Battalion 1, DKSZC, TSC, and CRC, where Naxal training, as well as the creation of strategies and weapons, used to take place.
Shah said that our security forces completed the biggest anti-Naxal operation in just 21 days, and it is a matter of immense pleasure that there were no casualties among the security forces during this operation.
The Home Minister Shah congratulated the CRPF, STF, and DRG personnel who bravely faced the Naxalites in the bad weather and rugged hilly region and said that the entire country is proud of them.
Shah stated that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we are determined to eliminate Naxalism from the roots. He reassured the citizens of the country that India will be Naxal-free by March 31, 2026.
In Bijapur, Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Gyanendra Pratap Singh, along with Chhattisgarh Director General of Police Arun Dev Gautam and other senior officers of these forces, shared detailed information about this operation in a joint press brief, reaffirming their commitment to eliminate Naxalism by March 2026.
'We are committed to fulfilling the resolve taken by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to end naxalism by 31st March 2026...We have recovered 31 bodies (of Naxalites) and it is an area of 1200 square kilometres, and we have information that a larger number of Naxalites have been neutralised...Out of the 31 naxalites who have been neutralised, 28 have been identified...The operation was named Operation Black Forest, and the teams of Cobra, CRPF, and Chhattisgarh police were involved in this operation...Such a huge recovery has never happened in any operation before...This is a big achievement for us...,' the CRPF DG told ANI.
The Chhattisgarh Police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) recovered the bodies of 31 uniformed Naxalites, including 16 female Naxalites in uniform, and 35 weapons after 21 encounters that took place over 21 days on the Karreguttalu Hill (KGH), which was considered an impregnable stronghold of Naxalites on the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border.
So far, 28 Naxalites have been identified, with a total reward of Rs 1 crore 72 lakh announced for them. The anti-Naxal operation, which took place from April 21, 2025, to May 11, 2025, indicates that the bodies recovered from the encounter site might belong to cadres of the banned, illegal, and most powerful armed Naxal organisation, the PLGA Battalion, CRC Company, and the Telangana State Committee.
The border areas of Sukma and Bijapur, which are the strongholds of Naxalites, including the most powerful armed organisations like the PLGA Battalion, CRC Company, and the Telangana State Committee, have been home to several top cadres. In this area, under challenging circumstances, the security forces established numerous new security camps, which increased their dominance.
As a result, the Naxalites formed a Unified Command and took refuge in the Karreguttalu Hill (KGH), considered impregnable, located at the border of Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, and Mulugu, Telangana.
KGH is an extremely difficult hilly region, approximately 60 km long and 5 to 20 km wide, with a very tough and challenging geographical terrain. Over the past two and a half years, the Naxalites established their base in this area, where around 300-350 armed cadres, including the technical department (TD Unit) of the PLGA Battalion and other important organisations, took refuge.
Based on the inputs received, a comprehensive and well-coordinated plan was prepared, and on April 21, 2025, the Chhattisgarh Police and Central Armed Police Forces launched a large-scale joint operation.
In this operation at KGH, a multi-agency special team was formed for collection, collation and analysis of technical, human intelligence and field inputs received from various intelligence agencies.
Using the gathered intelligence, the team conducted meticulous planning of the operation, including determining the strength of deployed forces, scheduling continuous mobilisation and arranging timely replacements. The intelligence inputs were continuously analysed and relayed in real time to field commanders, which enabled security forces to locate Naxalite operatives, their hideouts and arms caches while also helping to prevent casualties from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on several occasions. Acting on this intelligence, the security forces successfully recovered a substantial quantity of IEDs, BGL shells and other explosive materials.
This operation stands as the largest, most comprehensive and well-coordinated anti-Naxal campaign to date, a notable example of seamless cooperation between various state and central agencies operating in unison on a unified platform.
Analysis of the information obtained during this historic 21-day-long anti-Naxal operation, the officials said, suggests that several senior Naxal cadres were either killed or seriously injured during the operation. However, due to the difficult geographical conditions, the security forces have not yet been able to recover the bodies of all the injured or killed Naxalites.
A large number of forces, equipment, and other logistics were mobilised in a professional manner for the implementation of the action plan of this historic operation.
As per forces, the conditions at Karreguttalu Hill are extremely difficult, and with daytime temperatures exceeding 45 degrees Celsius, many soldiers suffered from dehydration.
Despite this, the forces further said, there was no decrease in the morale of the soldiers, and they continued the operation against the Naxalites with full courage and enthusiasm. This operation is an excellent example of coordination between various state and central agencies, and the Modi government's 'whole-of-government' approach. The objective of the campaign was to reduce the armed capabilities of the Naxalites, neutralise armed squads, drive Naxal elements out of inaccessible areas and dismantle the brutal Naxalite organisation, the PLGA battalion.
It is noteworthy that building on the success of the anti-Naxal operations in 2024, the security forces have neutralised 197 hardcore Naxalites in the last 4 months as part of the ongoing anti-Naxal operations in 2025. In 2014, 35 districts were most affected by Naxalism, and by 2025, this number had reduced to only 6.
Similarly, the number of Naxal-affected districts has decreased from 126 to just 18. In 2014, 1080 Naxal incidents were recorded in 330 police stations across 76 districts, whereas in 2024, only 374 incidents were recorded in 151 police stations across 42 districts. In 2014, 88 security personnel were martyred in Naxal violence, which decreased to 19 in 2024. The number of Naxalites killed in encounters has increased from 63 to 2089.
In 2024, 928 Naxalites surrendered, and so far, 718 have surrendered in the first four months of 2025. From 2019 to 2025, the central forces, in collaboration with state police, have established a total of 320 camps in Naxal-affected states, including 68 night-landing helipads. The number of fortified police stations, which was 66 in 2014, has now increased to 555.
The long-term results of this extensive operation against the Naxalites are being observed, such as the division of large and armed Naxal units into several smaller units. The security forces' hold on these areas has strengthened, and they are continuously advancing in the National Park area under Bijapur district and the Maad region under Narayanpur district. (ANI)