Narayanpur-Dantewada Encounter: 28 Naxals Dead, 185 Eliminated in 2024

28 Naxals Killed in Narayanpur-Dantewada Encounter, 185 Naxals Eliminated So Far in 2024
In one of the largest anti-Naxal operations of 2024, security forces gunned down 28 Naxalites in a fierce encounter in the Abhujmaad region of Bastar on Friday. A cache of weapons, including an AK-47 rifle and one self-loading rifle (SLR), was recovered from the site.

The encounter occurred around 1 PM in the forest between Thulthuli and Nendur villages, located on the Narayanpur-Dantewada inter-district border. A joint team of security personnel from the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Special Task Force (STF) was carrying out an anti-Naxal operation when the gunfight broke out.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Bastar Range, Sundarraj P, confirmed that 28 Naxals were killed in the operation and several weapons were seized. Earlier, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Gaurav Rai had mentioned that about 30 Naxals were believed to have been killed.

This latest encounter brings the total number of Naxals eliminated by security forces in the Bastar region to 185 in 2024 alone. The Bastar region comprises seven districts, including Dantewada and Narayanpur, which are known as Naxal strongholds.

In a similar operation on April 16, 29 Naxalites, including high-ranking cadres, were killed in Kanker district.