According to district SP Kamalochan Kashyap, 22 security personnel were killed in a deadly confrontation between security personnel and Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Saturday. Earlier on Sunday morning, the local Chhattisgarh police had confirmed that 15 security forces had gone missing and 30 jawans had been wounded in the encounter.
According to the Hindustan Times, at least one officer was confirmed missing as rescue teams resumed their mission for the second day. However, according to NDTV, the number of people missing is higher, with three people still missing as of Sunday.
The attack, which occurred on Saturday, wounded about 30 other personnel. When a joint team of security forces was out on an anti-Maoist mission, a gunfight erupted. In the shootout, two Naxalites were also killed.
Over 2,000 soldiers from at least five camps in Sukma and Bijapur had gone into the forest near Tarrem in the Bijapur district. When returning from the operation, they were caught in an ambush.
The operation was conducted from five locations: Tarrem, Usoor, and Pamed in Bijapur, and Minpa and Narsapuram in Sukma. Personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force, its elite unit CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action), the District Reserve Guard, and the Special Task Force were involved.
Five bodies were found at the scene of the encounter at first, but police estimated the death toll to increase in the coming hours.
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said seven of the injured personnel had been admitted to a Raipur hospital and were no longer at risk. The shooting lasted four hours, according to the chief minister.
On Sunday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with Baghel, who briefed him on the situation. According to ANI, Baghel told reporters, “I got a call from Home Minister Amit Shah.” “He has sent the Director-General of the CRPF to the ministry. In the evening, I’ll return to Chhattisgarh.”
Shah had previously said in a tweet that the security personnel’s valor will never be forgotten. The government will “continue its war against these enemies of peace and progress,” according to the home minister.
According to ANI, Shah told reporters in Guwahati that a rescue operation was underway in Bijapur. “Both teams have been eliminated… “Some of our jawans have died,” Shah said. “I give my respects to them. I want their families to know that their effort will not be in vain.”
