A major clash took place in the Bijapur area of Chhattisgarh on January 16, 2025, and 12 Naxalites were killed in a joint security force operation. Five battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force’s (CRPF) elite CoBRA unit and members of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) from three districts participated in the operation, which started at around nine in the morning. With 26 Naxalites slain in January, this encounter represents a continuation of the region’s stepped-up anti-Naxalite operations.
Security forces responded to intelligence about the presence of senior Maoist cadres by engaging in combat in a densely forested region. Officials expect that as activities continue, the number of Naxal bodies discovered from the location may rise beyond the initial reports of over 10. Thankfully, no security personnel were reported injured during this interaction.
Similar operations had already claimed the lives of a number of Naxalites earlier in January, including one on January 12 that claimed the lives of five people, including two women. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has reaffirmed the Indian government’s intention to eradicate naxalism by March 2026, and these operations are a part of a larger strategy to do so.
