Eight maoists killed in Bijapur encounter; two cops injured

NEW DELHI: A day after eight Maoists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, the police said eight more Maoists carrying a bounty on their heads were killed in an encounter on Sunday. Among the dead were Neelkanth (24), area committee member (west Bastar) division carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh, Tati Kamlu (30), Mangal Tati (35), both carrying Rs 3 lakh reward and Lachu Potam (40), Shankar Tati (26), Raju Tati (26), Viju Padam and Sannu Tati (40), all carrying Rs 1 lakh bounty, according to the Chhattisgarh administration.

Bijapur SP Jitendra Yadav said: "Eight hardcore Maoists and militia company were killed during the operation carried out after intelligence was received regarding the presence of Maoists in the region. A large quantity of arms and ammunition have been recovered by the operations team that included special task force, District Reserve Guards and CRPF. The killed Maoists were part of the second battalion of People's Liberation Guerilla Army.

As many as 64 Maoists have been killed in police encounters so far this year in Chhattisgarh. As per officials, a total of 290 forward operating bases (FOBs) have been opened across states impacted with LWE and 88 new FOBs have been sanctioned for 2025. Union home minister Amit Shah has declared that Maoism will be wiped out from the country by March 2026.