Three Maoists, including a woman cadre, were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district on September 28, 2025, morning.
The operation was launched after intelligence inputs on the Maoist movement in a hilly area near Chindakhadak village under Kanker police station limits.
A joint team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) from Kanker and Gariaband, along with the Border Security Force (BSF), engaged the extremists in a fierce gun battle, Indian Express cited Superintendent of Police (Kanker) I. Kalyan Elesela said.
The slain Maoists were identified as Sarvan Madkam alias Vishwanth and Budhram Punem, coordination in-charge of the Sitanandi Ravas Committee with an Rs 8 lakh bounty; Rajesh alias Rakesh Hemla, a Nagri Area Committee member and Local Organisation Squad (LOS) commander with a Rs 5 lakh bounty; and Basanti Kunjam alias Hidme Piyem, a Protection Team member with a Rs 1 lakh bounty.
Security forces recovered a Self Loading Rifle (SLR), an automatic weapon, a .303 rifle, and a 12-bore gun from the spot.
With this encounter, the number of Maoists killed in Chhattisgarh this year has risen to 252, including 223 in the Bastar region. In 2024, a total of 219 Maoists were killed, nearly all in Bastar.
Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P. urged cadres to surrender, stating: “Maoism is on the verge of extinction. We appeal to cadres to abandon violence and join the mainstream by availing the government’s rehabilitation policy. If they continue, they will face severe consequences.”
According to official data, since 2024, 471 Maoists have been neutralised, while 39 security personnel and 107 civilians lost their lives in Maoist-linked violence. The Union Home Ministry has set March 2026 as the deadline to completely eradicate Left Wing Extremism from India.
The latest success in Kanker underlines intensified counter-insurgency operations aimed at ending decades of Maoist violence in the Bastar heartland.