In a big achievement for the security forces, top maoist commander Modem Balakrishna alias Manoj, along with nine other Naxalites, was neutralised during an encounter in the Gariaband district in Chhattisgarh, said officials on Thursday.
The count, however, is expected to rise as the encounter is still underway. Providing details about the encounter, Raipur Range Inspector General of Police Amresh Mishra said the encounter broke out in the forest under Mainpur police station limits during an anti-Naxal operation in the region.
"Personnel belonging to Special Task Force (STF), CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action - an elite unit of CRPF) and other state police units are involved in the operation. Intermittent exchange of fire is still underway," news agency PTI quoted Mishra as saying.
The security forces have conducted multiple operations over the past few months against the Naxalites. It must be noted that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has given a target to finish left-wing terrorism was March 31, 2026.
16 Naxalites surrender in Narayanpur district
Earlier in the day, 16 Naxalites - belonging to lower run cadres of different units - also surrendered in the Narayanpur district. According to the police, the Naxalites were disappointed with the "hollow" Maoist ideology and the atrocities that were committed on innocent tribals by them.
"They (top Maoist leaders) mislead locals with false promises of protecting water, forest and land, equality and justice, only to exploit and enslave them. Local cadres face severe exploitation, and the condition of women Maoists is even worse," PTI quoted Narayanpur Superintendent of Police Robinson Guria as saying.
Two CRPF personnel injured in IED blast
Meanwhile, in another incident, two personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast by the Naxalites in the Dantewada district on Thursday. According to the police, the blast happened near the Saatdhaar bridge on the Indravati River.
The injured personnel were shifted to an advanced medical facility for treatment and are out of danger now, the police said.
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