4 Naxalites killed in encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur

Bijapur: Four Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh on Saturday, police said.

A gunfight broke out in the evening in a forest in the south-western part of the district when a team of security forces was out on an anti-Naxal operation following information about the presence of Naxal cadres, said Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P.

So far, the bodies of four Maoists have been found at the encounter site and intermittent exchange of fire is still underway, he said.

A huge quantity of weapons, including INSAS and SLR rifles, has also been recovered, the senior official said.

The operation is still in progress, he said.

With the latest deaths, 225 Naxalites have been killed in encounters in Chhattisgarh so far this year. Of them, 208 were killed in the Bastar division which comprises the districts of Bijapur, Bastar, Kanker, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Sukma and Dantewada.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said on more than one occasion that the government is committed to eradicate Naxalism by March 31, 2026.