Daijiworld Media Network
Mandla, Mar 9: A Maoist was killed during a fierce encounter between security forces and insurgents in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandla district on Sunday. The operation, led by the elite Hawk Force in coordination with state police, is still ongoing as heavy gunfire continues from both sides.
Superintendent of Police Rajat Saklecha confirmed the development, stating that security personnel moved into the dense forest area bordering Kanha National Park and Balaghat following an intelligence tip-off. A group of 15-20 Maoists was spotted in the area.
"One male Maoist has been killed, but his identity is yet to be confirmed as intense firing from the Naxal side continues," Saklecha said. Security forces are advancing cautiously to retrieve the body amid ongoing hostilities.
The encounter erupted in the Chimta Forest Camp on the Mandla-Balaghat border in the afternoon and extended into the late evening. The Hawk Force, while conducting a search operation in the Khatiya forest area, was fired upon by Maoists, triggering a retaliatory assault. Officials suspect that additional insurgents may have sustained injuries and escaped into the dense jungle, with security personnel in pursuit.
Authorities have cordoned off the entire region due to the potential presence of more Maoists. The insurgent group has been active in Mandla’s forested terrain for years, often executing small-scale attacks before retreating into hiding. The district has witnessed multiple encounters between law enforcement and Maoist factions in the past.
A battalion of CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) has been stationed in Mandla for several years, bolstering anti-Naxal operations alongside the Hawk Force. In a previous encounter near Lalpur village in the Motinala police station area, security forces neutralized two Maoists, including a female cadre, and seized weapons. Both were identified as members of the Kanha Bhoramdev Bodla Committee.
The ongoing crackdown aligns with the central government’s broader strategy to eradicate Naxalism by March 2026.