Two Maoists were killed in an encounter with security forces in the insurgency-affected Bijapur district on Thursday morning, police officials said. The operation took place in a forested belt of the Bastar region, an area that has witnessed frequent anti-Naxalite operations in recent years. Authorities said the situation is now under control, and search operations are continuing in the surrounding areas.

According to police, the gunfight broke out along the Indravati River when a joint team of security personnel was carrying out a planned anti-Naxalite mission. The exchange of fire between the two sides lasted several hours before subsiding. Officials indicated that the forces were acting on intelligence inputs about Maoist presence in the dense forest zone.

After the encounter ended, security personnel recovered the bodies of two uniformed Maoists from the site. The identities of the slain cadres were yet to be officially confirmed at the time of reporting. Police said the area is being thoroughly combed to rule out the presence of additional insurgents or hidden explosives.

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Security forces also seized a cache of weapons from the encounter spot. The recovered arms included a self-loading rifle (SLR), an INSAS rifle and a 12-bore firearm. Officials said the seizure indicates the Maoists were prepared for an armed confrontation with the advancing security teams.

The latest operation comes weeks after security forces neutralised 14 Maoists in two separate encounters in the Bastar region on January 3. Counter-insurgency efforts have intensified across Chhattisgarh, particularly in Bijapur, Sukma and Dantewada districts, which remain among the worst-affected by left-wing extremism.

According to police data, as many as 285 Maoists were killed in encounters with security forces in the state last year. The Centre has set a March 31 deadline to eliminate left-wing extremism nationwide, prompting stepped-up coordinated operations by central and state forces across affected regions.

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