Raipur: Following the recovery of bodies of 14 Maoists who were killed during an encounter with the security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband district near the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border, Inspector General of Raipur Zone Amresh Mishra stated that two additional bodies of Maoists were recovered, taking the tally to 16.
According to a statement by IG Mishra, the security forces also recovered a large quantity of weapons and ammunition, including AK-47s, SLRs, INSAS and other automatic weapons. Meanwhile, the search operation is ongoing.
Earlier, the Gariaband Superintendent of Police, Nikhil Rakhecha, in a statement, stated that more than 14 Maoists were killed during a joint anti-Naxal operation by the Gariaband Operation Group E30, Cobra 207, CRPF 65 and 211 Battalions, and SOG Nuapada.
According to the SP, the security forces were also able to kill a member of the Central Committee of the banned CPI (Maoist), Jairam alias Chalpati, who had a reward of one crore on his head.
#BREAKING | 14 Maoists killed in a major encounter near Gariaband on the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border.
Among the deceased is Chalapathi, a key Maoist leader and Srikakulam-Koraput Division in-charge, with a ₹1 Cr bounty.
A large cache of weapons and explosives has been… pic.twitter.com/8Tcrxh4JRf
— Organiser Weekly (@eOrganiser) January 21, 2025
The operation, which was started on Sunday, also saw senior cadres of Maoists dead and a large quantity of weapons, including automatic weapons like SLR rifles, recovered. The number of Maoists killed in the encounter is expected to increase.
Following this development, Union Home Minister Amit Shah lauded the efforts of the security forces, stating that it was a “mighty blow” to Naxalism (Maoism).
“Another mighty blow to Naxalism. Our security forces achieved major success towards building a Naxal-free Bharat. The CRPF, SoG Odisha, and Chhattisgarh Police neutralised 14 Naxalites in a joint operation along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border. With our resolve for a Naxal-free India and the joint efforts of our security forces, Naxalism is breathing its last today,” the Union Home Minister stated.
Reacting to the Union Home Minister’s remarks, Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai too exuded confidence in eradicating the Maoist insurgency before March 2026. ” Under your able leadership and guidance, the resolution to make the country and state Naxal-free by March 2026 will definitely be realised,” tweeted CM Sai.
आदरणीय गृह मंत्री जी, यशस्वी प्रधानमंत्री श्री नरेंद्र मोदी जी एवं आपके कुशल नेतृत्व और मार्गदर्शन में देश-प्रदेश को मार्च 2026 तक नक्सल मुक्त बनाने का संकल्प निश्चित रूप से साकार होगा।
ओडिशा-छत्तीसगढ़ सीमा पर 14 नक्सलियों का खत्मा, यह दर्शाता है कि नक्सलवाद की जड़ें अब पूरी… https://t.co/5eTms2FKEe
— Vishnu Deo Sai (@vishnudsai) January 21, 2025
“Our unwavering resolve is-Naxal free Bharat and this success is an important step in that direction,” he added.
Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma also said that the elimination of Jairam was a success for the security forces and many automatic weapons had been seized in the encounter.
“14 Naxalites have been killed in 2 days. The special thing is that Odisha cadre CC member Jairam has been killed in Chhattisgarh and the killing of a CC member is the first such incident in the history of Naxal operations to date. Overall, there must have been a reward of more than one crore rupees on his head. So the police have got a big success. Many automatic weapons have also been recovered in this… By March 2026, Naxalism will be completely eradicated not only from Chhattisgarh but from the whole of India,” he said.
NCP-SCP MP Supriya Sule also spoke on this matter, stating that she strongly backed the government’s efforts on eliminating the naxals, as it was a part of a national security issue.
“I think any such operations against terrorism, we all stand united and strongly behind the government because when it comes to national issues and national security issues, clearly we all are with the government,” she said. (With inputs from ANI)
