Bodies of Naxal commanders killed in recent Chhattisgarh encounters recovered

Security forces have recovered the bodies of seven Naxals eliminiated during the ongoing anti-Naxal crackdown in the National Park area of Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district in separate operations carried out over the last three days, officials said on Saturday.

The bodies were recovered by the security forces after anti-Naxal encounters that took place in the National Park area on Thursday, Friday and today. Among the Naxal commanders whose bodies were recovered, were Central Committee Member Gautam alias Sudhakar and Telangana State Committee Member Bhaskar.

On June 5, security forces took custody of the mortal remains of Maoists' Central Committee Member (CCM) Gautam alias Sudhakar, while the body of Telangana State Committee (TSC) Member Bhaskar was recovered the next day, on June 6. Later, during encounters in the intervening nights of June 6 and 7, three more bodies were recovered.

On Saturday, two more Maoist bodies were recovered following an exchange of fire between security forces and the Naxalites. One of them was Bhaskar, who had a total bounty of Rs 45 lakh on him. This includes a bounty of Rs 25 lakh in Chhattisgarh and Rs 20 lakhs in Telangana.

Of the seven Maoist bodies recovered so far, five - including two women and three men - remain unidentified, officials said, adding that efforts are underway to establish their identities.

Security forces also recovered a significant cache of arms and ammunition during the three-day anti-Maoist operation, which included at least two AK-47 assault rifles seized from the encounter site.

Meanwhile, extensive search and area domination exercises continue across the dense forested terrain to track down any surviving Maoist operatives believed to be hiding in the vicinity. Officials said these operations aim to ensure full sanitisation and secure control of the region.

Several security personnel reportedly sustained operational injuries, including snake bites, honeybee stings, and dehydration, while navigating the challenging jungle terrain. All injured personnel are receiving medical care and are currently in stable condition.

A comprehensive update regarding the recoveries of weapons and other materials will be shared as soon as consolidated inputs are received from the ground forces, they added.

CRACKDOWN ON NAXALISM

Security forces have launched a massive crackdown against Maoists in the affected areas of central Indian states, including Chhattisgarh, and have succeeded in eliminating top Naxal commanders in recent weeks.

• On Thursday, Sudhakar, a top Naxal leader carrying a bounty of Rs 40 lakh, was killed in an encounter with security forces in Bijapur.
• His encounter came close on the heels of the killing of Nambala Keshav Rao, also known as Basavaraju, who was killed in an encounter in May. He was among 30 Naxals neutralised in a joint operation led by the District Reserve Guard (DRG) in the dense Abujhmad forests - a Naxal stronghold.
• Pappu Lohara, the head of a Naxal outfit Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad and a wanted militant carrying a bounty of Rs 10 lakh, was killed in an encounter with security forces in the state's Latehar district last week.
• Another senior leader of the group, Prabhat Ganjhu, who had a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head, was also gunned down during the exchange of fire.
• Two weeks ago, 24 Naxals surrendered before authorities in Bijapur and another 33 Naxalites, 24 of whom carried a combined bounty of Rs 91 lakh, surrendered before security forces in the state’s Bastar region, according to police.

The massive crackdown comes as Union Home Minister Amit Shah set a deadline of March 31, 2026, to eliminate Naxalism from the country.

With inputs by Jitender