Gariaband, Jan 21 :
At least 14 more Naxalites were killed in a gunfight with security forces as part of the ongoing joint anti-Naxal operation in the forests of Gariaband district near the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border, police forces of both states said on Tuesday.
A fresh exchange of fire took place late on Monday night and early Tuesday morning in the forest under the Mainpur police station area in which 14 Naxalites were killed. The slain Naxalites include Jayaram alias Chalpati, a senior member of the Naxalite Central Committee, who had a reward of Rs one crore on his head, an official said.
Inspector General of Raipur Zone Ambarish Mishra said that the bodies of all the 16 Naxals have been recovered. “An AK-47, SLR, Insas along with a huge cache of arms and ammunition has been recovered. A search operation is underway.”
Gariaband Superintendent of Police Nikhil Rakhecha said the operation at Gariabad was jointly executed by Group E30, Cobra Batallion 207, CRPF Battalions 65 AND 211 and LOG Nuapada (Odisha). “There are many top Naxals, who have been eliminated,” said Rakhecha.
Earlier on Monday, two women Naxalites were killed and one CoBRA jawan was injured in an encounter during the same operation, the official said. He said a joint team of security personnel from the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), CoBRA from Chhattisgarh and Special Operation Group (SOG) from Odisha were involved in the operation.
16 Naxalites Including
The official said the operation was launched on the night of January 19 based on intelligence about the presence of Maoists in the Kularighat reserve forest of Chhattisgarh, just 5 km from the border of Odisha’s Nuapada district.
Two women Naxalites were neutralised during the operation on Monday, and a large cache of firearms, ammunition and IEDs, including a self-loading rifle, were recovered from the encounter site, the official said. The number of Maoist casualties may increase, he said.
Rakhecha said late Monday evening firing took place during the anti-Naxal operation in the forests under Mainpur police station. “After the firing stopped, during the search operation, the bodies of two female Naxalites were recovered. Weapons of the killed Naxalites were also seized. Their identification is being done. A Cobra soldier has been shot. She is being treated in Raipur,” the officer said.
Odisha Police in a separate statement said: “In the ongoing operation, 12 more Maoists have been killed during late night and early morning in an exchange of fire with SOG (special operation group) team during the ongoing joint inter-state operation,” the Odisha Police said in a statement.
Another mighty blow to Naxalism, says Amit Shah
Union Home Minister Amit Shah described the killings as “another mighty blow to Naxalism”. Shah said Naxalism was breathing its last today and reiterated the resolve for a Naxal-free India and joint efforts of security forces.
“Another mighty blow to Naxalism. Our security forces achieved major success towards building a Naxal-free Bharat. The CRPF, SoG Odisha, and Chhattisgarh Police neutralised 14 Naxalites in a joint operation along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border,” Shah wrote on X.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnudeo Sai lauded the security forces for their success. “Strengthening the resolve to end Naxalism in the country and state by March 2026, the security forces are continuously achieving success and moving rapidly towards the goal. This success of the soldiers is commendable. I salute their bravery. Under our double-engine government, Chhattisgarh will definitely be free from Naxalism by March 2026,” Sai said.
