Gunfire in Abujhmad: 5–6 Maoists Killed in Fierce Encounter

• Encounter broke out in Abujhmad forests on Dantewada-Narayanpur border.
• Security forces retaliated after Maoists ambushed a DRG search team.
• 5–6 Maoists reported killed; intermittent firing still underway.
• SP Dantewada confirms bodies yet to be recovered from dense jungle terrain.

GG News Bureau
Raipur, 5th Sept: The red corridor of Chhattisgarh once again echoed with gunfire on Friday as security forces engaged in a fierce encounter with Maoists deep inside the Abujhmad forests, straddling the Dantewada-Narayanpur border.

Officials confirmed that a joint team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) from Dantewada and Narayanpur came under ambush while conducting a search operation in the troubled East Bastar Division. The jawans retaliated with heavy gunfire, forcing the Maoists to retreat.

According to Dantewada SP Gaurav Rai, 5–6 Maoists are believed to have been killed, though their bodies are yet to be recovered from the dense terrain. Intermittent firing is still underway.

This encounter follows a series of high-intensity anti-Maoist operations across Bastar. On August 28, four Maoists were gunned down in Gadchiroli’s Koparshi forests during a clash with Maharashtra’s elite C-60 commandos, leading to the recovery of weapons, ammunition, and Maoist literature. Earlier in May, Bastar witnessed one of the bloodiest strikes in recent years, when top politburo leader Basava Raju, carrying a bounty of ₹1.5 crore, was killed in a counter-insurgency operation. That came just days after the Karregutta operation, where security forces eliminated 31 Maoists following a 24-day pursuit.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during his 2024 visits to Raipur and Jagdalpur, had warned Maoists to surrender or face annihilation, setting March 31, 2026 as the deadline for complete eradication of Naxalism from India. Since then, operations have intensified, with security forces eliminating several top-rung leaders, including:

• Basava Raju – Politburo member & General Secretary (₹1.5 crore bounty, Andhra Pradesh)
• Jayaram alias Chalapathi – Central Committee Member (₹1 crore, Andhra Pradesh)
• Renuka – Central Regional Bureau leader (₹45 lakh, Telangana)
• Sudhakar alias Narasimhalam – Central Committee (₹1 crore, Andhra Pradesh)
• Garlala Ravi – Central Committee (₹40 lakh, Andhra Pradesh)
• Niti alias Nirmala – Senior Dandakaranya cadre (₹25 lakh, Chhattisgarh)

Abujhmad, spread over 4,000 sq. km. of unmapped forests, caves, and hills, has long been described as the “headquarters of the Red Corridor.” It remains the Maoists’ most fortified sanctuary, from where top leadership strategises operations across central India. With security forces pushing deeper into this stronghold, clashes are becoming more frequent and intense.