27 Maoists Killed, Chhattisgarh on Alert

Indian security forces achieved major success in their anti-Maoist operation in the remote Abujhamad area of ​​Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh on Wednesday morning. According to official sources, at least 27 Maoists were killed in the encounter. The operation is being considered as one of the biggest Maoist suppression operations this year.

Sources say that based on intelligence information, it was learned that a top Maoist leader was hiding in the deep forests of Abujhamad. After receiving that information, the District Reserve Guard (DRG) of Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur and Kondagaon districts jointly launched an operation. The forces secretly entered the forest and an intense gunfight started. In the hours-long encounter, 27 Maoists were killed. Many of them are believed to have been active members of the 'People's Liberation Guerrilla Army'.

 The Abujamad region is located in the extreme south-west of Chhattisgarh, bordering Bijapur, Dantewada, Kanker districts on one side and also connected to Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra on the other. According to the administration, this forest-dominated region is larger than Goa. For a long time, this forest was a safe haven for Maoists. Several sabotage and attacks against the police were planned from here.

The Home Ministry has announced that Chhattisgarh will be completely free from Maoists this year. For this purpose, the Central and State governments have been jointly conducting an operation called 'Operation Black Forest' for the last few months. This operation has been intensified since early April. The objective is to permanently eliminate the Maoist guerrilla force.

As part of this operation, another operation was launched on April 21. The security forces were able to eliminate the Maoist commander Hidma Madvi in ​​the forests of Karegutta hills. Then last month, 31 Maoists were killed in a paramilitary operation. This time, the news of 27 more deaths in Abujamad reinforces that continuity.

The huge number of Maoists' losses has created the possibility of them coming under great pressure within their organization. In addition, the morale of the security forces has also increased many times. The administration has informed that a large amount of weapons, explosives and important documents have also been recovered from the operation area. A combing search of the area is now underway.

Although the forces have not yet confirmed who the top leaders were among the dead. The process of identifying them through DNA tests is underway. The administration fears that some more Maoists have been injured in the clash and have fled deep into the jungle. Therefore, the operation has not been stopped for the time being, and security measures have also been strengthened.

On the other hand, the news of this clash is showing mixed reactions among the common people. On the one hand, there is relief as well as fear. Because, the Maoists have tried to take revenge many times in the past. Therefore, the security forces and the local administration have increased patrolling and surveillance in the area.

Although such continuous successful operations indicate great success in suppressing the Maoists, according to experts, not only weapons, but also development, education and health infrastructure are needed for a permanent solution to the Maoist problem. They believe that until equal importance is given to these aspects, it will be difficult to eradicate the problem. However, for now, the administration is seeing this victory in Abujamad as a major milestone.