SAA event in Chhattisgarh, Rekhapalli-Komathpalli, Bijapur District area, India on Fri 8th November 2024

Three cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) were killed in an exchange of fire with Security Forces (SFs) near the Rekhapalli-Komathpalli hilly forested terrain in Bijapur District in the Bastar division of Chhattisgarh on November 8, reports The New Indian Express. "Based on specific intelligence about the presence of Maoists along the Usoor-Basaguda-Pamed area in Bijapur, a joint team consisting of the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF), CoBRA [Commando Battalion for Resolute Action], an elite unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and the CRPF launched a planned search operation in the region," said a Police officer in Bastar, adding, "Upon reaching the location near the Rekhapalli-Komathpalli hilly forested terrain, where the Maoists were believed to be hiding, an encounter ensued between the forces and the Naxalites [Left Wing Extremists, LWEs]. Following the firefight, the troops recovered the bodies of three Maoist cadres, who were found in uniform." The forces also recovered significant weaponry from the encounter site, including one self-loading rifle (SLR), one sniper rifle, one 12-bore rifle, and other arms and ammunition. The identities of the three slain Maoists are yet to be ascertained.