31 Maoists, 2 jawans killed in Chhattisgarh encounter as Shah vows to eradicate Naxals by March 2026

Two security officials and 31 Maoists were killed on Sunday (February 9) during an encounter in India’s eastern state of Chhattisgarh.

An operation was launched by a joint team of security agencies in Bijapur district’s Indravati National Park, an area considered as safe haven for local Maoists.

Sundarraj P, Inspector General of Police for Bastar Range, later confirmed that one jawan killed in the encounter hailed from the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the other from the Special Task Force (STF).

“Two other jawans have suffered injuries and a helicopter is taking off to evacuate them to Raipur for treatment,” Indian Express quoted an official as saying.

Second such encounter at Indravati National park

Sunday’s encounter was the second such anti-Maoist operation launched at the Indravati National Park this year.

A similar operation was carried out by security agencies in January, in which three Maoists were gunned down.

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Spanning across almost 2,800 square kilometres, the park shares its boundary with Maharashtra state. Declared as a tiger reserve in 1983, today certain pockets of the park are dominated by Maoists, according to media reports.

Union Minister Amit Shah’s statement

The country’s home minister, Amit Shah, hailed the operation as a “big success” in a post on X.

He also vowed that Naxalists will be eradicated from the country by March 31 next year.

“I also reiterate my resolve that before March 31, 2026, we will completely eradicate Naxalism from the country so that no citizen of the country has to lose his life due to it,” he wrote.

“I express my heartfelt condolences to the families of the martyred soldiers,” Shah added.

Crackdown on Maoists

This year alone, Indian forces have eliminated 62 Maoists.

However, the lives of 11 jawans were also lost during anti-Maoist operations in Chhattisgarh.

According to media reports, at least nine civilians have also been killed in attacks by Maoists.

Sundarraj P said they had launched the operation at Indravati National Park after they detected the presence of Maoists in the area. He added that a search operation was still underway.

(With inputs from agencies)