In a renewed crackdown against Naxalite activity in Chhattisgarh, security forces killed three Naxals during a large-scale operation in the Karegutta area of Bijapur district, officials confirmed on Thursday.
The anti-insurgency operation was launched on April 21 and marked a continuation of the forces’ intensified efforts to dismantle militant strongholds in the Bastar region, long considered a Maoist bastion.
Police sources informed that the action was part of a coordinated offensive following a spate of high-profile surrenders in neighbouring districts. “The search operation was launched on April 21,” a police official said, adding that the terrain posed operational challenges, though forces managed to engage a Naxal unit successfully.
The operation comes close on the heels of the surrender of five active Naxalites in Narayanpur district. According to a statement by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), those who surrendered were identified as Dasri Dhruv (26), Channu Gota (28), Jyoti Vadde (19), Sita Vadde (19), and Sunita Vadde (25).
“Five active naxals, namely Dasri Dhruv (26), Channu Gota (28), Jyoti Vadde (19), Sita Vadde (19), Sunita Vadde (25), surrendered today. The surrendered Naxals were handed over a cheque of Rs 50,000 each,” the ITBP stated.
Following the surrender, Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Gangaram Chavan said the surrendered cadres would be rehabilitated under the state and central government's surrender policy.
“The surrendered Naxalites hail from Maad (Chhattisgarh) and Nuapada (Odisha) divisions. The Naxalites will be given all the benefits provided by the government. There are Naxalites of different ranks who have surrendered. Some Naxalites have a bounty of Rs5 lakhs, while others have a bounty of Rs8 lakhs,” SP Chavan told the press.
Earlier in April, a group of 26 Maoists—including three with declared rewards—had laid down arms before senior police and CRPF officers in Dantewada, further indicating growing disenchantment among cadres and the reach of the rehabilitation framework.
On Monday, eight Naxals were neutralised in an early morning encounter in Jharkhand’s Bokaro district during a joint operation by commandos of the CoBRA unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and local police.
Among those gunned down was notorious Naxal commander Vivek, who carried a bounty of ₹1 crore on his head.
The slain Naxal leader was killed in a fierce exchange of fire with security forces in the Lugu Hills area of Bokaro.
Security analysts view these developments as indicative of a shift in the Naxal-Maoist landscape, with both kinetic operations and surrender incentives yielding tangible results.
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