Chhattisgarh: Senior Maoist leader among 3 killed in Dantewada encounter
A member of the special zonal committee of the outlawed CPI (Maoist), who was carrying a reward of ₹25 lakh on his head, was among three Maoists killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district on Tuesday, police said.
Police said that member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) Sudhir alias Sudhakar alias Murali, who was active in Abujhmad region, was killed in the encounter.
The encounter took place at 8am in the forest area between villages Girsapara, Ikeli, Nelgoda, and Bodga, located on the border of Dantewada and Bijapur.
Inspector General of Police, Bastar range, Sunderaj P said that the personnel belonging to the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Bastar Fighters, both units of the state police, were involved in the operation.
“After the exchange of fire stopped, bodies of three male Maoists were recovered from the site. We have also recovered one INSAS rifle, one .303 rifle, one 12-bore rifle, along with a large quantity of explosive materials, Maoist literature, and other essential items from the encounter spot,” said the IG.
The bodies were later identified as Sudhakar, Mannu Barsa and Pandru Atra.
Sudhakar alias Sonasai alias Murali (Ankesarapu Sarayya) was a resident of Warangal district of Telangana and a member of SZC. He entered the Dandakaranya region in 1999 and was actively involved in the Maad region and Gadchiroli under the name Murali from 2003. He worked with Naxal commander Prabhakar from 2012 and became a member of SZC (Special Zonal Committee) in 2014-15.
The other two–Mannu Barsa and Atra (both residents of Bijapur) were in the security of SZC, police said.
Union home minister Amit Shah recently said the Narendra Modi government is moving forward with a ruthless approach against Naxalites and is adopting a zero-tolerance policy against those Maoists who have not surrendered despite facilities being offered to them.
He said the country will be Naxal-free by March 31, 2026.
So far in 2025, security forces have recovered the bodies of 100 Maoists in various encounters across the Bastar region, police claimed.
Over two dozen Maoists and a policeman were killed in twin gunbattles in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur and Kanker districts on Thursday last. There have been a series of anti-Maoist operations in Chhattisgarh as part of the Union government’s target to end Left-wing insurgency by March 31, 2026. In 2024, 219 Maoists were killed in Chhattisgarh, compared to 22 in 2023 and 30 in 2022.
Officials last week said 113 Maoists have been killed this year and 104 have been arrested across the country. Another 164 have surrendered, according to the Union home ministry.
Bastar, Dantewada, Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur, Kondagaon, and Sukma in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar division are known as the epicentre of Maoist insurgency. Thousands of forces have been deployed there for the anti-Maoist operations in what is known as the “Red Corridor” to push back rebels, take over their hideouts in forests and cripple their fortifications.
A broader government strategy against the Maoists includes the construction of roads and developmental projects in Left-wing insurgency-hit areas. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to visit Chhattisgarh on March 30 to launch infrastructure projects and meet Maoist violence-hit people.
Security forces have created 17 new camps in previously core Maoist-controlled areas including a 4,000 square kilometre forested area straddling Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra—Abhujmad, which remains unmapped.
Difficult terrain, lack of infrastructure, and Maoist fortification have frustrated attempts to survey the region since 2017. Bastar is referred to as the last Maoist bastion because of an administrative vacuum. Top Maoists including the politburo and the central committee members are believed to be holed.
