Woman Naxalite, top Maoist leader with Rs 25 lakh bounty, killed in Chhattisgarh's Bastar encounter
Security forces killed a woman Naxalite in an encounter in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, amid intensified anti-Naxal operations. Meanwhile, 50 Naxalites, including 14 with bounties, surrendered in Bijapur ahead of PM Modi’s state visit.
FollowSecurity forces killed a top Maoist commander, Renuka alias Banu, in an encounter in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district on Monday. Renuka, who carried a bounty of ₹25 lakh, was shot dead during an anti-Naxal operation along the Dantewada-Bijapur border. The encounter is part of an intensified crackdown on Maoist insurgents ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s scheduled visit to Dantewada.
Renuka was a senior Maoist leader and media chief of the Naxal organizationy. A member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC), she was responsible for the Naxal propaganda wing. She was a resident of Warangal district.
The operation took place in the dense forests along the Dantewada-Bijapur border as part of an intensified crackdown on Maoist insurgents. According to officials, security personnel launched a search operation in the dense forests when a fierce gunfight erupted around 9 AM. After a prolonged exchange of fire, the forces recovered Renuka’s body along with an INSAS rifle, arms, ammunition, and other supplies from the site. Search operations are ongoing to track any insurgents who may have escaped.
50 Naxalites surrender
In a major breakthrough, 50 Naxalites surrendered in Bijapur district on Sunday. Among them, 14 had bounties totaling ₹6.8 crore. Senior officers from the state police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) oversaw the surrender, which was facilitated by the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Bastar Fighters, Special Task Force (STF), and CRPF’s elite CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) unit.
Authorities revealed that six of the surrendered insurgents had a bounty of ₹8 lakh each, three carried ₹5 lakh rewards, and five had ₹1 lakh bounties on their heads. Officials confirmed that the surrendered rebels will be rehabilitated under the government’s surrender and reintegration policy.
Major crackdown on Naxalism continues
The surrender came just hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Chhattisgarh, where he is set to inaugurate development projects worth over ₹33,700 crore. The crackdown follows Saturday’s massive operation in Sukma and Bijapur, where security forces killed 18 Naxalites, including 11 women. Officials see this as a significant step in the government’s mission to eliminate Naxalism by March 31, 2026.
So far in 2024, security forces have neutralized 134 Naxalites across Chhattisgarh, with 118 of them in Bastar alone. Additionally, 792 Naxalites have surrendered in the Bastar division this year, marking a significant shift in the state’s fight against Maoist insurgency.
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