Bijapur Naxalites were from Maoists' strongest Bastar unit: Police

Bijapur, Jan 17 (PTI) The twelve Naxalites killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Thursday were from the Maoists' "strongest" unit in the Bastar region, a senior official said.

The identity of the slain Naxalites, which included five women, was yet to be ascertained. Preliminary information suggests they belonged to the People's Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA) battalion number 1 and Central Regional Committee (CRC) company of the Maoists, said Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P on Friday.

PLGA is the armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist).

The PLGA battalion number 1 is considered the strongest formation of the Maoists in the tribal-dominated Bastar region, and is currently headed by `Deva', as per the police.

It has orchestrated several deadly attacks on security forces in south Bastar in the past, officials said.

Earlier, the squad was headed by senior Maoist leader Hidma, believed to be behind several big strikes against the security forces in the Bastar region which comprises seven districts.

Both Hidma and Deva were present during the encounter on Thursday but managed to escape in the forested hills with some other Maoist cadres, said IG Sundarraj.

Twelve Naxalites were killed in the gunfight that took place in the dense forests of Pamed-Basaguda-Usoor axis.

The encounter took place ten days after eight police personnel lost their lives in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast triggered by Naxalites in the district.

The operation was launched after receiving information about the presence of PLGA battalion number 1 and CRC company cadres in the forests of Tumrel, Sigampalli, Pujarikanker and Malepenta villages, the official said.

The area is located deep inside the forest.

Personnel of the state police's District Reserve Guards from the districts of Bijapur, Dantewada and Sukma along with 229th battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and five (204th, 205th, 206th, 208th and 210th) battalions of its elite jungle warfare unit CoBRA were involved in the operation, Sunderraj said.

Besides the bodies of 12 Naxalites, two .303 bore rifles, one .12 bore rifle, one .315 bore rifle, a country-made rocket launcher, three barrel grenade launchers (BGLs), four muzzle-loading rifles, one lathe machine used for making weapons and a huge cache of explosives, wireless sets, Maoist literature and commodities of daily use were recovered from the spot, the official said.

Continuing the streak of successful anti-Naxalite operations last year, at least 25 Naxalites have been killed in encounters in the Bastar region alone in the first month of 2025, the IG said. Another Naxalite was killed in the state's Gariaband district earlier this month.

Despite all the conspiracies and cowardly acts of the Maoists, security forces have been working to facilitate peace, security and development in the region, Sundarraj added.

Two CoBRA commandos were injured when a pressure-activated IED planted by Naxalites went off near the Putkel CRPF camp during Thursday's operation, he said.

The injured jawans were admitted to a private hospital in Raipur and both were stated to be out of danger.

Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, who holds the home portfolio, visited the hospital on Friday morning.

On January 12, Five Naxalites including two women were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Madded police station area of Bijapur.

Last year, 219 Naxalites were killed by the security forces in encounters across the state. PTI