Chhattisgarh forces kill senior Maoists in Bijapur, Gariaband

Security forces in Chhattisgarh this week carried out multiple anti‑Maoist operations that officials say left more than a dozen insurgents dead, including several senior commanders, in separate encounters in Bijapur and Gariaband districts. The actions form part of an intensified campaign by state and central forces to dismantle the outlawed CPI (Maoist) network in the region.

Police in Bijapur district said two Maoist cadres were killed on Friday in a forested area near the Telangana border after a gunbattle with the District Reserve Guard. Superintendent of Police Jitendra Kumar Yadav identified the deceased as Hidma Podiyam, 34, and Munna Madkam, 25, members of the outfit's military platoon number one. Officials said the two carried a combined bounty of about Rs 16 lakh. Security teams recovered a .303 rifle, a 12‑bore gun, ammunition, cordex wire, a scanner set, batteries and Maoist literature at the scene, police said.

A larger engagement in neighboring Gariaband district on Thursday also resulted in multiple fatalities, with officials and security forces offering differing counts. Raipur Range Inspector General of Police Amresh Mishra and CRPF statements said security...