15 women among 29 naxals killed in Chhattisgarh encounter, Says IG

A day after 29 Maoists were gunned down in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh, the state police said 15 of them were women.

"We have recovered 29 bodies, of which 15 were female. Arms and ammunition were recovered in large quantities. The autopsy of the bodies are underway," Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P said on Wednesday.

Since December 2023, 71 Naxals have been killed during operations by the security forces, while 11 security personnel died during the same period, according to the state administration.


On Tuesday, the joint operation by the Border Security Force (BSF) and Chhattisgarh police led to one of the biggest operations since 2017. Shankar and Lalita, both divisional committee members of the north Bastar division of Maoists, are believed to be among the deceased.

Sunderraj P said, "On April 16, information was received about the presence of Naxalites of the banned Maoist organisation in Chhotabethiya area of Kanker district. A joint team of DRG and Border Security Force (BSF) was sent and during the operation, there was continuous firing between the security forces and the Maoists for four hours". Three security personnel were injured in the encounter. "Two are no longer in a critical condition while one is recovering. They are being treated in Raipur. Other injured staff are also getting treatment," the IG added.

Meanwhile, the state Congress urged the government to prove that innocent villagers were not among the deceased. Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, a Congress candidate in the Lok Sabha elections, raised doubts about the encounter, claiming that there had been several fake encounters during the BJP regime in the state. He accused the government of threatening villagers.