Senior Maoist Leader Among Nine Identified After Fierce Encounter in Dantewada-Bijapur Border

 

Security forces on Tuesday gunned down nine armed Maoists in a fierce encounter in the forested hills of Lohagaon Purangel Andri on the border between Dantewada and Bijapur districts—a significant blow to Maoist terrorism in Chhattisgarh.

 

Among the deceased is said to be DKSZCM Randhir, a senior Maoist leader with a bounty of ₹25 lakh on his head. The encounter occurred on September 3 and is being described as a huge success in the continued operations against Maoists in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.

 

Dantewada Superintendent of Police Mr. Gaurav Rai said the operation was based on credible intelligence about the presence of top Maoists from the Andhra-Odisha Border, Darbha Divisions, and the PLGA Company No. 2 in the region.

 

Upon this input, a joint team comprising DRG, Bastar Fighters, and the 111th and 230th battalions of the CRPF, along with Young Platoon, was sent for a combing operation in the forest and hilly area of Lohagaon-Purangel-Andri.

 

The operation began at the break of dawn on September 3. Around 10:30 AM, the security forces came under heavy firing by the Maoists present within the West Bastar and Darbha Divisions.

 

The Maoists opened fire to kill and loot weapons from the security personnel. The Maoists, despite calls for surrender, continued the attack, following which the security force retaliated.

 

After an extended gunbattle, feeling defeated, the Maoists retreated into the dense forests. Later, the police recovered nine bodies of armed Maoists during the search operation, out of which six were women.

 

The encounter site also yielded a big cache of weapons, including one SLR, two rifles (.303 calibre), one Teti carbine (9mm), one 8mm rifle, one .315 bore rifle, two 12-bore rifles, one BGL launcher, and two country-made guns. Explosives and other Maoist-related materials were seized.

Of the Maoists killed, six were known senior terrorists carrying rewards on their heads. Besides Randhir, the DKSZCM leader, five ACM members—Kumari Shanti, Sushila Madkam, Gangi Muchaki, Kosa Madavi, and Lalita—were gunned down, each with a reward of ₹5 lakh on her head.

 

The other two Maoists were identified as Hidme Mangkam and Kamlesh of the DVCM Security Platoon, carrying a carrying reward of ₹2 lakh each. The total reward amount for the killed Maoists crossed ₹ 60 lakh.

 

The bloodstains at the scene of the gun battle have given the police officials reason to believe that several more Maoists lost their lives or were seriously injured in the fierce gun battle between them and the security forces in the dense forests. A massive manhunt is underway to trace the remaining insurgents who managed to flee into the surrounding forests.

 

According to Deputy Inspector General of Police, Dantewada, Mr. Kamalochan Kashyap, "This successful operation has sent shivers down the spines as far as Maoist cadres operating in the West Bastar and Darbha divisions are concerned." "Further, the Maoist leadership, which considered this area a safe haven, is now blaming the local cadres for the failures over this encounter," he added.

 

DIG CRPF-Dantewada, Mr. Rakesh Kumar, said, "The primary objective of anti-Maoist operations is aimed at ensuring security for indigenous people who get coerced into supporting the Maoist ideology and reside deep in remote jungles." He appealed to those coming under Maoist influence to give up and join the mainstream again, assuring them of safety and rehabilitation.

 

 

Similarly, the Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Mr. Sundarraj P., pointed out the greater successes that the ongoing anti-Naxal campaign achieved in the Bastar region. This year, in 2024, there have been 153 Maoists killed, 669 arrested, and 656 have surrendered, indicating effective counter-insurgency efforts.

 

It's a big victory for the security forces, which have been relentlessly working to eradicate the menace of Naxalism from this part of the country. Recovered arms and other equipment are being examined, and more operations are expected to flush out the remaining Maoist cadres from their hilly strongholds scattered across the region.