A total of 33 people have been killed in a gunfight in India, including two jawans and 31 Maoist members. Additionally, two other jawans have been injured. The clash and casualties occurred in the forests of Bijapur district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh.
According to a report by The Times of India on Sunday (February 9), a fierce encounter took place in Bijapur district of Bastar division, where two security personnel and at least 31 Maoists were killed in a gunfight with security forces.
Bijapur is the same district where, at the beginning of January, an IED explosion killed eight security personnel and a civilian driver. Later, in the last week of January, eight Maoists were killed in an anti-Maoist operation in the area.
The Times of India reported that two jawans were also injured in the ongoing encounter in Bijapur’s jungle. A police officer stated that the bodies of 12 Maoists, dressed in uniform, were recovered along with weapons and explosives, while continuous gunfire was still ongoing.
The security forces launched an anti-Maoist operation in the forests of the Indravati National Park area based on intelligence about the presence of a large number of senior Maoist cadres. In the early hours of Sunday, a gunfight erupted between the Maoists and the security forces, resulting in the deaths of 31 Maoists.
During the encounter, the security forces lost two jawans, while two others who were injured were evacuated for medical treatment.
Officials have confirmed that the injured jawans are not in critical condition. Additional security personnel have been deployed to the encounter site, and the search operation is still ongoing.