Raipur: In a significant operation in Chhattisgarh, Indian paramilitary forces killed nine individuals, identified as youth, during a clash in the dense forests along the border of Dantewada and Bijapur districts in the Bastar region.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the operation involved the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The confrontation was initiated following intelligence inputs regarding the presence of Naxalites from the West Bastar division in the area.

Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj P, reported that the engagement was an encounter that occurred after forces acted on specific intelligence. The encounter involved intermittent gunfire over a prolonged period. Authorities later recovered the bodies of nine individuals, dressed in uniforms typical of Naxalites, along with a substantial cache of weapons from the site.

This recent incident increases the total number of alleged Naxalites killed in operations across Chhattisgarh this year to 154, as per police records.

The term “Naxalite” historically refers to members of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) or CPI-M, and is often used by the Indian government to describe a wide range of lower-class individuals including tribal peoples, villagers, and Dalits (formerly known as untouchables). These groups predominantly reside in areas of significant Maoist influence such as Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal, and have been active in demanding justice and advocating for the establishment of an independent state.

Source: Kashmir Media Service