In a significant blow to left-wing extremism, security forces in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district neutralized three Maoists in an encounter on Thursday. The operation also led to the recovery of weapons from the site.
Details of the Sukma Encounter
The gunfight erupted in the forested hilly terrain under the Golapalli police station limits. Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan confirmed that the operation was launched based on specific intelligence inputs about the presence of Maoist cadres in the area.
A team of the District Reserve Guards (DRG) initiated a search operation, which led to intermittent firing with the insurgents in the early hours of Thursday. The exchange of fire lasted for several hours.
Following the encounter, the bodies of the three Maoists were recovered. They have been identified as Madvi Joga (also known as Munna or Jagat), and two women cadre: Sodhi Band and Nuppo Bajni. All three were active members of the Kistaram area committee of the banned CPI (Maoist) organization. Notably, each of the deceased carried a combined bounty of Rs 12 lakh on their heads.
In the aftermath, joint teams of DRG Sukma and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) continued intensive search operations in the vicinity to locate explosives, arms, and any hidden Maoist camps.
A Surge in Surrenders in Narayanpur
In a parallel and positive development, 11 Maoists, including five women, laid down their arms in Narayanpur district on Wednesday. Narayanpur SP Robinson Guriya stated that the surrender took place under the state government's rehabilitation policy.
The group that surrendered includes high-value members:
- Three divisional committee members, each carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh.
- One area committee member with a reward of Rs 5 lakh.
- Seven other cadres involved in various unlawful activities.
The total combined reward on their heads amounted to Rs 37 lakh. Police stated that these individuals were involved in violence, recruitment, extortion, and propaganda work for the CPI (Maoist).
As an immediate incentive, each surrendered cadre was given a cheque of Rs 50,000. They will now be covered under the state's comprehensive surrender and rehabilitation policy, which promises financial aid, housing support, and options for livelihood and skill development.
Broader Impact on Maoist Insurgency
These incidents underscore the dual strategy of security pressure and rehabilitation yielding results in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region. The three fatalities in Sukma have pushed the total number of Maoists killed in encounters in 2025 to 284.
Simultaneously, the surrender of the 11 cadres in Narayanpur has raised the total number of surrenders in that district alone in 2025 to 298. Authorities interpret this trend as a steady erosion of support for the insurgency in parts of the Bastar division. The surrendered cadres have expressed faith in the Constitution and opted to join the mainstream, according to police statements.
