IN THE first Naxalite encounter of 2026, at least 14 Maoists, including wanted ultras Vetti Mangdu and Madvi Hunga, were killed in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma and Bijapur districts in the Bastar region on Saturday, officials said. While 12 Naxalites, including Mangdu and Madkam, and five women, were neutralised by the security forces during an exchange of fire in Sukma, the bodies of two Maoist cadres were found in the forests of Gaganpalli village in Basaguda, Bijapur. State Police unit, District Reserve Guard (DRG) had launched the anti-Naxal operations based on inputs about the presence of Maoist cadres, a senior police official said. Hailing the security personnel, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said that due to the precise strategy, sustained pressure, and strong ground presence of the security forces, the Maoist network has been rapidly weakening. The operation in the southern region of Sukma was launched on Friday night by the DRG. An exchange of fire broke out around 8 am in the forest of the Kistaram area, said Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan.

 

“The bodies of 12 cadres, including five women, and automatic weapons were recovered from the encounter site,” he said. Two among them were identified as Vetti Mangdu, incharge of the Konta area committee of Maoists, and Madvi Hitesh alias Hunga, the secretary of the same formation, Chavan said, adding that the identity of the remaining cadres is yet to be ascertained. A cache of weapons, including AK-47, INSAS, and self-loading rifles, has been recovered from the encounter site. Mangdu and Hunga were involved in several Maoist incidents, including an IED blast in Konta area in June last year in which then Additional Superintendent of Police (Konta) Akash Rao Girepunje was killed, Chavan said. Girepunje was killed, and two other police officers were injured on June 9 when an IED planted by Naxalites exploded at a stone quarry near Dondra village.

 

During a separate operation in Bijapur, a gunfight broke out in a forest in the southern region of the district around 5 am, another official said, adding that the bodies of two Naxalites were recovered. Their identity is yet to be established. CM Sai, meanwhile, stated that trust, development, and security are new directions for Bastar, where peace, not violence, has now become the only option. Decisive success has been achieved in the anti-Naxal operations conducted by security forces in Bijapur and Sukma districts, in which 14 Maoists were neutralised, he stated. Bastar is now moving forward with new opportunities for development, investment, education, health, and employment. This transformation is the result of the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the leadership of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the indomitable courage and commitment of the security forces, a sensitive rehabilitation policy, and the unwavering trust of the people of the region, he said. He hailed the bravery of the security forces and congratulated all the personnel involved in the operation.

 

Those who are still choosing the path of violence should surrender, join the mainstream, avail themselves of the benefits of the government’s rehabilitation policy, and live a life of dignity, Sai said, appealing to Naxalites to surrender. Otherwise, the State Government and security forces are fully capable and committed to fulfilling their responsibilities in accordance with the law and the Constitution, he added. In 2025, a total of 285 Naxalites were gunned down in separate encounters with security forces in Chhattisgarh. The Centre has set a deadline of March 31, 2026, for eradicating Left-Wing Extremism.