Three Naxalites, who collectively carried a reward of ₹15 lakh, were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Sunday, police reported.
The gunfight erupted in the forested hills of Tumalpad village, along the border of the Bhejji and Chintagufa police station areas, during the morning. A team from the District Reserve Guard (DRG) was out on an anti-Naxalite operation, acting on intelligence regarding the presence of Maoist cadres in the region, according to Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan.
The intermittent exchange of fire lasted for a long time, after which the bodies of three Naxalites, including two women, were recovered from the site. A .303 rifle, Barrel Grenade Launchers (BGLs), along with other weapons and explosives, were also seized from the encounter site.
The killed extremists were identified as area committee member Madvi Deva, CNM (Chetna Natya Mandli—a cultural outfit of Maoists) commander Podiam Gangi, and Kistaram area committee member Sodhi Gangi, both women. Chavan confirmed that all three carried a reward of ₹5 lakh each. Deva, a sniper specialist and a dreaded member of the Konta area committee of Maoists, was involved in the murder of several innocent civilians. Search operations were still underway in the adjoining areas.
Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj Pattilingam, said that Naxalism is now in its final stage in the Bastar region. He asserted that Maoist cadres have no option but to shun violence and embrace the government's rehabilitation policy. A total of 233 Maoists, including central committee members and People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) cadres, have been killed so far this year in the Bastar range, which comprises seven districts including Sukma.
With this latest action, 262 Naxalites have been killed in encounters across Chhattisgarh so far this year. Of these, 233 were eliminated in the Bastar division, 27 in the Gariaband district (Raipur division), and two in Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district (Durg division).
The Centre has resolved to eliminate Naxalism from the country by March 2026.
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