The body of a woman Naxalite has been recovered from the encounter site along with an Insas rifle, and the operation was still underway.
Dantewada: A woman Naxalite, named Renuka alias Banu, carrying a reward of Rs 25 lakh, was killed in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region on Monday. The gunfight broke out at around 9 am in a forest along the border of Dantewada and Bijapur districts, located in the Bastar region, when a team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxalite operation, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Gaurav Rai said.
Kamlochan Kashyap, DIG South Bastar, congratulates the security forces for a successful anti-naxal operation, an encounter in which security forces neutralised a female Naxalite identified as Renuka, a Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) member and was incharge of the Media team of naxals. She was carrying a bounty of 25 lakhs on her head and was a resident of Warangal district.
So far, the body of a woman Naxalite has been recovered from the encounter site along with an Insas rifle, he said. The operation was still underway and further details are awaited.
Last week, Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma confirmed the killing of a top Naxal leader in an encounter in the Sukma district.
The Naxal leader has been identified as Jagdish, who was carrying a cash reward of Rs 25 lakh. The killed naxal was involved in the Jhiram Ghati incident earlier, in which top Congress leaders of Chhattisgarh were killed, and the Narayanpur incident, where several security personnel were killed.
This comes after security forces in Chhattisgarh neutralized 16 Naxalites and recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition in a major encounter in the Kerlapal area of the Sukma district on Saturday.
Following the encounter, Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao reiterated the government’s commitment to eradicating armed Naxalism.
He said, “The resolve of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Mod, is to eliminate armed Naxalism from the country by March 2026, and our security forces are working in the same direction. The bravery and courage with which our security forces are working, we will eliminate Naxalism in the given time.”
Earlier, Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan confirmed the recovery of 16 Naxal bodies from the site and said, “Two of our jawans sustained injuries during the operation and are being evacuated for medical attention.”
He said that security forces also seized a large cache of sophisticated weapons, including AK-47 rifles, Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs), and INSAS rifles from the area.
“This can be called one of the biggest encounters Sukma has seen to date,” SP Chavan added. The official said that the identities of the slain Naxals are yet to be ascertained. The exchange of fire began following a joint anti-Naxal operation launched by the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on Friday.
According to officials, the operation was initiated based on specific intelligence regarding the presence of Naxals in the Kerlapal area under Sukma police station limits.