• Source:JND
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As many as 30 Naxalites have reportedly been killed in an encounter, which is underway across several districts of Chhattisgarh. The death toll may rise as many Maoists, including their top leaders, have been surrounded by the District Reserve Guard personnel, Naidunia reported. 

Top Maoist commander Basava Raju alias Nambala Keshava Rao has also been gunned down in the anti-Naxal operation. Raju had a bounty of Rs 1 crore on his head.

The intense gunfight is going on between Naxalites and DRG since morning in Narayanpur, Bijapur and Dantewada. The operation was launched after a tip-off on the presence of a senior Maoist cadre from the Maad Division in the Abujhmad area. A security force personnel has also reportedly died in the encounter.

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As per a police official, cited by PTI, Naxalites opened fire when DRG teams of police from four districts were out on an operation. 

Earlier, security forces conducted 'Operation Black Forest' to break the backbone of Naxals near Karreguttalu Hill (KGH) at the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border.

The 21-day-long operation carried out by the joint forces of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and state police between April 21 and May 11 neutralised 31 Naxals carrying a bounty of Rs 1.72 crore.

A total of 214 Naxal hideouts and bunkers have been destroyed in the operation and a total of 450 IEDs, 818 BGL shells, 899 bundles of Codex, detonators and a huge amount of explosive material have been recovered during the searches.

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Naxalism will be eliminated from the country by March 21, 2026. He also chaired a security review meeting in Raipur with CM Vishnu Deo Sai and Deputy CM Vijay Sharma.