Dhamtari (Chhattisgarh) [India], May 7 (HBTV): The District Reserve Guard (DRG) recovered several Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and other Naxal-related dumps from the Salhebhat forest in Chhattisgarh, officials said.
Superintendent of Police, Dhamtari, Suraj Singh Parihar, stated that a cache of pipe bombs, cooker bombs, tiffin bombs, and other explosive devices was recovered from the forest area under the jurisdiction of Khallari police station in Mahasamund district.
On Saturday, two security personnel sustained minor injuries in separate incidents involving IED blasts in Bijapur district.
The first incident occurred on the night of April 24, when a Special Task Force (STF) jawan suffered an ankle sprain due to the impact of an IED explosion. A second blast took place on April 26, in which a DRG jawan sustained minor injuries. Police officials confirmed that both jawans are in stable condition, receiving medical treatment, and expected to return to duty soon.
Earlier, security forces launched a decisive offensive against Naxal cadres in insurgency-hit Bijapur, deploying nearly 10,000 personnel to the top of Karegutta hill and surrounding forested areas. Friday marked the fourth day of this intensive operation.
Based on intelligence inputs regarding the presence of senior Naxal leaders—including most-wanted commanders like Hidma, Damodar, and Deva—security personnel from Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Telangana were mobilised to cordon off the forest and Karegutta hill region near the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border.
Around 10,000 personnel from Chhattisgarh’s DRG, Bastar Fighter, STF, Cobra, CRPF, Telangana’s Greyhounds, and Maharashtra’s C-60 units are participating in what has been described as the largest anti-Naxal operation in India's history.
According to police sources, the operation is being seen as critical in breaking the military backbone of the CPI (Maoist)’s PLGA Battalion No. 1. The Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee and Telangana State Committee are also primary targets.
On the first day of the operation, security forces recovered the bodies of three Naxals along with weapons from the rugged terrain. The ongoing search indicates that more Naxals may have been killed or injured in the encounter, the source said, adding that combing operations are still underway.
A police source likened the situation to a test match, saying, ‘The game will last long, and every session may not yield exciting news. We are hopeful of a very favourable result at the end of this match.’ The source added that all stakeholders—from the central government to the governments of Chhattisgarh and neighbouring states—are involved in this crucial operation.
Since December 3, 2023, following the formation of the BJP government in Chhattisgarh, security forces have neutralised 365 Naxals in separate encounters and arrested 1,382. Additionally, 2,306 cadres have surrendered under the state’s rehabilitation policy.
So far in 2025, 144 Naxals have been neutralised, 367 arrested, and 476 have surrendered.
(ANI)