Chhattisgarh: Historic triumph: 16 Naxals gunned down in Sukma operation, massive weapons seized

A major operation conducted by security forces in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh has brought in 16 Naxals dead and a huge cache of advanced weapons and ammunition. Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan confirmed this news on Saturday.

Greatest triumph over Naxals

It was this huge success which was in the combined operation by District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at the Kerlapal region of Sukma. The operation had begun in the pre-dawn hours of March 28 on a tip and firing had continued until Saturday morning.

Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan also stated, "This is one of the largest encounters in the history of Sukma district." Two jawans were also injured in the operation, who have been airlifted for immediate treatment, he added further.

 State-of-the-art rifles in the arsenal

The weapons recovered in this operation include AK-47 rifles, self-loading rifle (SLR) and INSAS rifles with a vast quantity of ammunition. But the identity of the slain Naxals remains to be established.

The security forces are now conducting search operations in the encounter area and surrounding jungles to see if there are any other Naxal cadres there.

Hardline approach of the government towards quelling Naxals

The Indian government is also coming hard to put an end to the Naxal threat.Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed Parliament on March 22 and said, "By March 31, 2026, Naxalism will be wiped out from the nation completely."Although 16,463 Naxal connected incidents of violence occurred between 2004 and 2016, during the last decade, there has been a decrease of 53% in such incidents. Concurrently, the number of martyred soldiers has gone down by 73 percent—where 1,851 soldiers were martyred previously, the figure has now reduced to 509.

Addressing Naxalism with development

The government is not limited to military measures alone, but is giving importance to solving the Naxal problem through development. In the last decade, 11,503 km of national highways and 20,000 km of rural roads have been constructed in Naxal-affected areas.

In addition, plans are underway to install more than 4,000 mobile towers to enhance the communication network and will be completed by December. Home Minister Amit Shah said, "Mobile connectivity will be ensured in every Naxalite-affected region." Chhattisgarh is progressing towards a peaceful background.The continued success of the security forces in Naxal-affected areas and the development initiatives by the government have given citizens a glimmer of hope for peace. Experts suggest that these difficult operations along with multi-pronged development will eradicate Naxalism in weeks.