Maoist Commander With ₹25 Lakh Bounty Among 17 Killed in Chhattisgarh Encounter
Security forces kill 17 Maoists, including a top commander with a ₹25 lakh bounty, in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma, marking a major success in the anti-Maoist crackdown.
In a significant victory for security forces, 17 Maoists, including a top commander with a ₹25 lakh bounty, were killed in an encounter in Sukma district on Saturday. The operation was part of an ongoing offensive against Maoist insurgents across Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region.
The slain Maoist leader, Jagdish alias Budhra, was a key accused in the 2013 Jhiram Valley attack, which claimed the lives of 25 people, including then-state Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel and other senior party leaders.
Fierce Gun Battle in Sukma
According to police officials, the encounter took place early Saturday morning in the Kerlapal area of Sukma, following intelligence inputs about Maoist movements. A joint operation involving the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) led to a heavy exchange of gunfire.
"Seventeen Maoist bodies have been recovered so far. Two DRG personnel were injured but are stable," an official confirmed.
Arms and Ammunition Recovered
Security forces seized a large cache of weapons from the encounter site, including:
AK-47 rifles
INSAS and .303 rifles
Rocket launchers
BGL launchers
Explosives
The identification process of the killed Maoists is ongoing.
Jagdish: A Notorious Maoist Leader
Jagdish, also known as Budhra, was the Darbha division commander and had been on the security forces’ radar for years. Apart from the 2013 Jhiram Valley attack, he was allegedly involved in the 2023 Aranpur ambush, where several DRG personnel lost their lives.
His death marks a significant blow to Maoist operations in the region, officials said.
Stepping Up Anti-Maoist Operations
Saturday’s encounter is part of a larger crackdown against Maoist insurgents in Chhattisgarh. Earlier this week, security forces killed three Naxal leaders, including Sudhir alias Sudhakar, another senior commander with a ₹25 lakh bounty.
In the past ten days, security forces have eliminated 49 Maoists in a series of operations.
Officials suspect that more Maoists may have been killed or injured in the latest encounter, and search operations are still underway in the dense forest areas surrounding the site.
With security forces intensifying their anti-Maoist operations, this latest strike is seen as a major step in weakening insurgent strongholds in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region.
