Two Naxalites killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district

Two dreaded Naxalites involved in several incidents of violence and carrying a collective reward of Rs 7 lakh were killed in an encounter with security forces in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh on Thursday, police said.

Two ''dreaded'' Naxalites involved in several incidents of violence and carrying a collective reward of Rs 7 lakh were killed in an encounter with security forces in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh on Thursday, police said. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai praised the security forces for the success, describing the slain Naxalites as ''notorious''. The exchange of fire broke out at 7 am in the forest near Kavargutta village in Pamed area in the southern part of the district, Bijapur Superintendent of Police Jitendra Kumar Yadav said. The operation had been launched on Wednesday evening based on the inputs about the presence of armed cadres from the 'Pamed Area Committee' of the Maoists in forested hills of Kavargatta-Gundarajgudem, he said. After the firing ceased, the bodies of Pradeep alias Joga and Bheema Veko, who carried rewards of Rs 5 lakh and Rs 2 lakh on their heads, were recovered. Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj Pattilingam said that Joga was active as a member of Pamed Area Committee while Veko was a member of the banned CPI (Maoist). The two ''dreaded'' cadres were involved in various violent incidents and murders of civilians in Pamed area, including the recent murder of Bhima Madkam, former sarpanch of Kavargatta village, he said. Personnel of the police's District Reserve Guard (DRG), Bastar Fighters and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) are carrying out the operation in the area, he said. In a post on 'X', chief minister Sai said, ''In the Kavargatta area of Bijapur, our brave joint teams of DRG, Bastar Fighters, and CRPF, displaying indomitable courage, have successfully neutralized two notorious Maoists, identified as Pradeep and Bhima''. This ''act of valor'' strengthens the government's resolve to make Bastar free from Naxalism, he said, adding that under the guidance of the Central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, and due to the good governance of the ''double-engine government'', a new chapter of peace and development is being written in Bastar. At least 22 Maoists have been killed in encounters with security forces in the state so far this year. On January 3, fourteen Maoists were killed in two encounters in Bastar region which comprises seven districts including Bijapur. In 2025, a total of 285 Maoists were killed in Chhattisgarh. The Centre has set a deadline of March 31, 2026 to eradicate Left-Wing Extremism.

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