Raipur, June 27: Two women Maoist rebels were killed in an overnight gun battle with Indian security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district, police said on Thursday, as authorities continue intensified operations to dismantle insurgent strongholds in the region.
The encounter occurred on Wednesday night in the dense forests of the Abhujmaad region under Kohkameta police station limits. A joint team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Special Task Force (STF) launched the operation based on intelligence inputs indicating the presence of senior cadres from the Maoists’ Maad division, a police statement said.
“So far, bodies of two women Maoists along with an INSAS rifle and a .315 bore rifle have been recovered from the spot,” the statement noted. A search operation is currently underway in the area.
The operation is part of a wider crackdown in Chhattisgarh, one of the states most affected by Left-wing extremism. More than 100 Maoists have been killed in the state this year, according to police data. In 2024, 219 Maoists were killed in similar operations, compared to 22 in 2023 and 30 in 2022.
The federal government has set a target to eliminate Maoist insurgency by March 31, 2026. Large-scale deployments of paramilitary and state police forces have been carried out in the so-called “Red Corridor,” which includes Narayanpur, Bastar, Dantewada, Bijapur, Kanker, Kondagaon, and Sukma districts in southern Chhattisgarh.
Security forces aim to seize control of rebel hideouts in forested terrain and dismantle long-established Maoist fortifications in the region.
