Tightening The Noose: Here Are Four Major Victories Of Security Forces Against Naxals In Chhattisgarh And Jharkhand Forests

The security forces are tightening the noose around the Naxals in the forests of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, and their hard work is now paying off.

In just the last two months, security forces have conducted four major encounters, killing Naxals in double digits in each engagement.

All these major operations, combined with smaller ones, have killed more than a hundred Naxals to date, which is the largest number in any year since Chhattisgarh was formed in 2000. For comparison, only 65 Naxals were killed in 2019.

These operations are taking place in the deep forests of Bastar and Bijapur, which the Naxalites call "Abhujmad" meaning “the unknown hills". These forests cover an area of 4,000 sq km, the size of Goa, and have never seen government administration. Naxals use these forests as a corridor to freely move and smuggle arms from and in the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha.

Here are the list of the major encounters in the region.

(1) 2 April 2024

The first big encounter happened in the Lenda forests of Bijapur.

In this encounter, bodies of 13 Naxalites were recovered after a team of commandos from the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), personnel of District Reserve Guard, Special Task Force, and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), launched an operation following a tip-off about the presence of a Naxal commander, Papa Rao.

This encounter came just days after another encounter in Bijapur’s Basaguda area that killed six Naxals on 27 March.

(2) 16 April 2024

The second major encounter, which happened in southern Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district, is said to be the largest encounter in the state’s history since its creation in 2000. In this, bodies of 29 Naxals were recovered, which is the largest haul by the forces.

(3) 30 April 2024

The third encounter, which occurred on the border of Narayanpur and Kanker districts of Chhattisgarh, killed another 10 Naxalites, including three women.

(4) 10 May 2024

The fourth and last major encounter happened just last week on Friday (10 May) in the forest of the Gangaloor region of Bijapur district. The 11-hour-long operation resulted in the recovery of 12 more bodies of Naxalites.

In total, 103 Naxalites have been killed in various small and large operations, this year.

This comes after the security forces have started to expand their presence in the un-administered Abhujmad forest of Chhattisgarh by creating various outposts and base camps. From these camps and outposts, security forces mount regular patrols in the forests, shrinking the free-to-operate areas of the Naxals.

Home Minister Amit Shah last Sunday at an election rally in Chhattisgarh promised to root out Naxalism in the next three years.