Sukma (Chhattisgarh) [India], March 29 (ANI): In a significant blow to Naxals, security personnel gunned down 16 Naxals and recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition in a major encounter in the Kerlapal area of Sukma district, said Sukma SP on Saturday.
Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan confirmed the recovery of 16 Naxal bodies from the site and said, “Two of our jawans sustained injuries during the operation and are being evacuated for medical attention.”
He said that security forces also seized a large cache of sophisticated weapons, including AK-47 rifles, Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs), and INSAS rifles from the area.
“This can be called as one of the biggest encounters Sukma has seen to date,” SP Chavan added.
The official said that the identities of the slain Naxals are yet to be ascertained. 
The exchange of fire began following a joint anti-Naxal operation launched by the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on Friday.
According to officials, the operation was initiated based on specific intelligence regarding the presence of Naxals in the Kerlapal area under Sukma police station limits.
The joint team moved out for the search mission on March 28, and intermittent firing has continued since early morning on Saturday (March 29).
Security forces are currently conducting an intensive search of the encounter site and surrounding forested terrain.
Sukma is one of the worst-affected districts in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region, which has seen several Naxal attacks in the past.
Earlier on Friday, a jawan was injured and hospitalised after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by Naxalites went off in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district.
After initial treatment, Bastar IG said that the condition of the injured soldier became stable.
Earlier on March 22, Union Home Minister Amit Shah informed Parliament that by March 31, 2026, Naxalism will be eradicated from the country. The Union Home Minister stated that between 2004 and 2014, there were 16,463 violent incidents, but in the last ten years, this number has decreased by 53 per cent.
He mentioned that from 2004 to 2014, 1,851 security personnel were martyred, but in the past ten years, the number of security personnel killed dropped to 509, a reduction of 73 per cent. The number of civilian deaths decreased from 4,766 to 1,495, which is a 70 per cent reduction.
The Union Home Minister stated that from 2014 to 2024, 11,503 kilometers of highways were constructed in Naxal-affected areas.
Additionally, 20,000 kilometers of rural roads were built. In the first phase, 2,343 mobile towers were installed, and in the second phase, 2,545 towers were set up.
The work of installing 4,000 mobile towers is still ongoing. Shah mentioned that the entire Naxal-affected region will be equipped with mobile connectivity by December 1st. (ANI)
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