Dantewada- Nine Naxals were killed and a significant number of automatic weapons were seized from them during an encounter between police forces and Naxals in the forest region between Dantewada and Bijapur borders on Tuesday.

According to an report by Dantewada SP Gaurav Rai, the police team had launched a search operation in the area under intelligence about the presence of Maoists from the West Bastar Division. The encounter between the police forces and the Naxals began at 10:30 am on Tuesday. A detailed report will be released by the police after the operation is complete.

On August 29, 3 women Naxalites were killed in an encounter with police forces in the dense forests of Abujhmad in Narayanpur. They were identified as members of the North Bastar Division Committee and the PLGA Company number 5. The police had a huge amount of weapons including a 303 rifle and 315 bore guns and also found significant quantities of Naxal material. The 3 women were among the 9 Naxals who were killed in the encounter.

Union Home Minister Shah was in Chhattisgarh for an inter-state coordination meeting with Chief Minister Vishnu Paleo Sai and other state police chiefs regarding the ongoing leftist movement in the country. During this meeting, he also assured that the government will be able to free the country from Naxalism by March 2026.