Six additional Naxalite bodies were recovered Thursday morning in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, raising the toll to 18 cadres eliminated during a fierce 12-hour intermittent exchange of fire that erupted Wednesday in the dense forests along the Bijapur-Dantewada inter-district border in West Bastar division. The operation, launched by a joint contingent of District Reserve Guard (DRG) from Bijapur and Dantewada, state Special Task Force (STF), and elite CoBRA commandos from the CRPF, stemmed from specific intelligence about Maoists from the West Bastar division and People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Company No. 2 presence in the area, approximately 420 km south of Raipur. By late Wednesday evening, 12 bodies had been retrieved alongside a significant arms haul including a Light Machine Gun (LMG), Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs), INSAS rifles, .303 rifles, and ammunition, with searches continuing into Thursday amid ongoing cordon operations to neutralize remaining threats.​

Tragically, three DRG personnel from Bijapur—Head Constable Monu Vadadi, Constable Dukaru Gonde, and Jawan Ramesh Sodhi, all local residents—were martyred in the retaliatory action, while two others sustained injuries but remain stable. Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P paid homage at a wreath-laying ceremony Thursday at Bijapur Police Lines, attended by families, public representatives, officials, and locals, before the martyrs' remains were sent to their native villages. IG P highlighted the forces' brave retaliation against Maoist firing, underscoring the operation's intensity in one of India's most Maoist-infested terrains known for ambushes and IEDs.​

Among the slain Naxalites, Modiyami Vella, commander of PLGA Company No. 2, was identified; carrying an Rs 8 lakh bounty, Vella had a notorious history including orchestrating the 2020 Minpa ambush in Sukma killing 17 personnel and the 2021 Tekalgudem attack in Bijapur claiming 22 lives. This encounter marks a significant blow to Maoist leadership in Bastar, with 281 Naxalites neutralized statewide in 2025—252 in the seven-district Bastar division (including Bijapur and Dantewada), 27 in Gariaband (Raipur division), and two in Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki (Durg division). However, 23 security personnel have also perished in Maoist violence this year, reflecting the persistent risks in anti-Naxal campaigns.​

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The incident aligns with the Centre's aggressive push to eradicate Left-Wing Extremism by March 31, 2026, through intelligence-driven operations, fortified camps, and surrender incentives amid over 1,000 Maoist capitulations in Chhattisgarh recently. Such clashes disrupt Naxal supply lines and command structures in Bastar's rugged 40,000+ sq km red zone, bolstering security for development projects, though they highlight operational hazards requiring advanced gear and real-time intel. Further identification of remaining bodies, bounty details, and search outcomes are pending as forces maintain dominance in the area.

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