3 Maoists killed in Sukma encounter, 11 surrender in Narayanpur

Raipur: At least three Maoists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Thursday, and their bodies were recovered along with weapons from the encounter site. Sukma SP Kiran Chavan told TOI that the encounter took place in the forested hilly area under the Golapalli police station area, following inputs that indicated the presence of Maoists. Acting on the intelligence, a team of the District Reserve Guards (DRG) launched a search operation. Intermittent firing broke out between the DRG team and Maoists early Thursday morning and continued for several hours. Joint teams of DRG Sukma and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) continued to carry out intensive search operations in the area to look for explosives, arms and other Maoist camps in the vicinity. The deceased have been identified as Madvi Joga alias Munna alias Jagat, and two women cadre -- Sodhi Band and Nuppo Bajni. All three were associated with the Kistaram area committee of CPI (Maoist). With these three deaths, the tally of Maoists dying in encounters in 2025 has climbed to 284, alongside a sharp rise in surrenders and arrests in districts like Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur and Sukma. The three Maoists killed carried Rs 12 lakh bountyMeanwhile, in Narayanpur district, 11 Maoists -- including five women -- carrying a combined reward of Rs 37 lakh, surrendered on Wednesday. Narayanpur SP Robinson Guriya said they laid down arms before district police on Wednesday under the state govt's rehabilitation policy, including three divisional committee members, each carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh, an area committee member with a reward of ₹5 lakh and seven other cadres involved in various unlawful Maoist activities. All have been given cheques of Rs 50,000 each as immediate incentive assistance, and officials said they will now be covered under the state's surrender and rehabilitation policy, which includes financial aid, housing support, and options for livelihood and skill development.Police said the surrendered cadres, who were involved in incidents of violence, recruitment, extortion and propaganda work for the banned CPI (Maoist), have now expressed faith in the Constitution and opted to join the mainstream. With this latest batch, police in Narayanpur district said the number of Maoists surrendering in the district in 2025 has risen to 298, reflecting, according to them, a steady erosion of support for insurgency in parts of Bastar division.