14 Naxals killed in fierce encounter with Chhattisgarh Police at Odisha border

In a significant development at the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border on Monday, January 21 at least 14 Naxals were killed in a fierce gunfight with Chhattisgarh police. The ongoing operation also led to the death of a notorious Naxal leader, who had a bounty of 1 crore rupees on his head. Authorities are expected to provide further details as the encounter continues.

This incident comes in the wake of a series of Naxal-related attacks in the region. On January 17, two Border Security Force (BSF) jawans were injured when Naxals triggered an improvised explosive device (IED) during a road-opening mission in Narayanpur district. The blast occurred between Camp Garpa and Garpa village. Narayanpur SP Prabhat Kumar confirmed the incident, assuring further details would be released later.

Earlier, on January 16, two CRPF jawans sustained injuries in an IED blast near Putkel village in Bijapur district. The attack is suspected to have been carried out by Naxalites.

On January 12, five Naxals, including two women, were killed in another encounter with security forces in Bijapur, resulting in the recovery of several weapons, explosives, and Maoist literature.

IG Bastar P. Sundarraj confirmed that 12 Naxal bodies, including five women, were recovered from the January 16 encounter, along with a large cache of arms and ammunition. Sundarraj reiterated the commitment of the Chhattisgarh police and security forces to continue their decisive action against Naxalism in the region.


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