DRG jawan injured in IED blast on day 6 of anti-Naxal operation along Chhattisgarh-Telangana border

Raipur: A District Reserve Guard (DRG) jawan was injured on Saturday when a pressure improvised explosive device (IED) planted by Naxalites went off in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district where a massive operation against Maoists was underway for the last six days.

The operation involving about 10,000 security personnel in a hilly region Karreguta, Durgamgutta and Pujarikanker along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border was launched on Monday, a senior official said.

A DRG jawan sustained a minor injury when a pressure IED exploded this morning, he said.

"The injured jawan was administered treatment at a camp of security forces and his condition was stated to be out of danger. He would be in a position for active duty very soon," the official said.

Another jawan belonging to the Special Task Force (STF) had sustained a minor sprain on ankle due to impact of an IED blast on April 24 morning during the operation, he said, adding that his condition was normal and he has recovered.

Talking to reporters here, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said, "Our security forces have been bravely and strongly fighting against Naxalites. Security forces have been carrying out a major operation against Naxalites on a hill along the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border, braving over 40 degrees Celsius in scorching summer." Union Home Minister Amit Shah has resolved to eliminate Naxalism by March 31, 2026 and the target will be achieved, he said.

The operation, one of biggest counter-insurgency actions launched in the Bastar region, involves personnel of different units, including the DRG, Bastar Fighters and STF of the Chhattisgarh police, the Central Reserve Police Force and its elite Commando Battalions for Resolute Action (CoBRA).

It is believed that some 500 cadres of the banned CPI (Maoist), including its top leaders, are holed up in the area, and Telangana Police are assisting in the exercise, said the official who is monitoring the action on the ground.

On Thursday, three women Naxalites were killed on Karregutta hills, and a huge cache of weapons, explosives and other materials was recovered during the operation.

The operation was launched on Monday in the densely forested hills of Karregutta and Durgamgutta along the inter-state border. Parts of the area fall in the Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh, over 450 km away from state capital Raipur.

It is believed to be the base of the PLGA (People's Liberation Guerilla Army) battalion No. 1, the strongest military formation of the Maoists, an official had said.

Intelligence inputs suggest more than 500 Naxalites belonging to PLGA battalion No 1, Telangana state committee and Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee of Maoists led by senior Maoists such as Hidma and Damodar are holed up in the area, he said.

"It is a crucial operation because it would be a battle to finish off the military strength of outlawed CPI (Maoists) by targeting PLGA battalion no 1 and the Maoists think tank in Dandakaranya special zonal committee (DKSZC) and Telangana state Committee," the official said.

"This operation is like a Test cricket match. It would last long and we would not get very exciting news in every session. But at the end of the match, we are hopeful of a very favourable result," the official said.

Helicopters and drones are being used in the operation, the official added.

Sources said that some jawans involved in the operation were shifted to hospital after they suffered dehydration and heatstroke.

The security forces have killed more than 350 Naxalites in a string of encounters, mostly centred in the Bastar region, since January last year.

As many as 18 Naxalites, including 11 women, were killed in twin encounters in Bastar region on March 29.

So far this year, 144 Naxalites have been gunned down in separate encounters in the state. Of these, 128 were eliminated in the Bastar division comprising seven districts, including Bijapur.