Bijapur: Security officials on July 7 confirmed the identity of Maoist gunned down in encounter with Dantewada – Bijapur District Reserve Guard (DRG) in forest of the Indravati National Park area at Bijapur- Dantewada borders on July 5.
The deceased Maoist was identified as Sodhi Kanna, deputy commandant of company no 2 of People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) battalion no 1. The security personnel during the campaign also recovered a three not three rifle, magazine of AK-47, 59 live rounds along explosive materials in significant quantity.
Sodhi was reported to be a trained sniper and carrying a bounty of Rs 8 lakh as announced by the state. He was involved in several deadly attacks including the Tekalagudum and Dhamavaram camp attacks carried out by the unlawful CPI (Maoist). Sodhi was considered close to Maoist central committee member Madavi Hidma.
According to Bijapur Superintendent of Police (SP) Jitendra Yadav, the operation was launched by a joint team of Bijapur-Dantewada DRG, Special Task Force (STF) and Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) after receiving reliable inputs on July 4. Intermittent firing continued between the security team and Naxals, leading to a major breakthrough.
#BREAKING | Big Blow to Maoists in Bastar
Rs 8 Lakh bounty Maoist Sodhi Kanna, Deputy Commander of PLGA Battalion-01 (Company-02), killed in a fierce encounter in Bijapur’s National Park area.
-Sniper & close aide of Hidma⁰-Involved in Tekulgudiam & Dharmaram attacks… pic.twitter.com/zzxgzvaYh4
— Organiser Weekly (@eOrganiser) July 7, 2025
Reacting to the development, IGP Bastar range, Sundarraj P said that “415 hardcore Maoists have been so far gunned down in 2024-25. Its an outcome of security forces strategy, courage and support of masses”.
He added that Sodhi’s encounter is a major loss for Maoists and their sniper capabilities. He noted that “extensive campaign against Maoists in Bastar is on and DRG, STF, CoBRA and CRPF are on alerted mode amidst torrential rains and tough terrain”.
It is to be noted that security forces have intensified operations against Maoists in Bastar’s hinterland. Extensive operations by forces in interiors have resulted in major losses for the Maoist group who according to security officials are fighting for their survival.
Notably, Bastar division of the state is badly marred by red terror with security forces gaining significant grounds in recent years. Persistent campaigns in core Maoist’s zone have compelled the Maoist’s top brass to continuously relocate themselves to evade arrest or encounter with forces.
Moreover, security forces have also erected security camps on strategic locations, enabling development works stalled for years due to Maoist’s presence. The Union Government has announced a deadline to eradicate Maoist insurgency from Bharat by March 2026.
