At least 22 suspected Maoists were killed on Wednesday in a gunfight with security forces in the forests of Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, ANI reported quoting an unidentified police officer.

The gunfight erupted in the morning in the Karregutta hills along the state’s border with Telangana during counter-insurgency operation ‘Mission Sankalp’, which began on April 21. At least 26 suspected Maoists have been killed since.

This is arguably the largest anti-Maoist operation launched by Indian security forces, and comes at a time when the insurgent Communist Party of India (Maoist) has repeatedly expressed its willingness to participate in peace talks.

The operation involves 24,000 troops of the District Reserve Guard, the Bastar Fighter Force, the Special Task Force, Chhattisgarh Police, the Central Reserve Police Force and its Commando Battalions for Resolute Action.

“All security forces are safe and fully committed to ensuring a safe and secure Bastar region,” an unidentified official told The Indian Express on Wednesday. “Search operations are on.” They added that security forces had found over 250 Improvised Explosive Devices in the region since April 21.

“Despite difficult geographical conditions and numerous challenges, the security forces are carrying forward this decisive operation against Left Wing Extremism with full commitment and determination,” the newspaper quoted Sundarraj P, inspector general of police for the Bastar range, as saying. “Many hideouts and bunkers have been destroyed.”

He added: “Thousands of kilogrammes of explosive material, ration material, medicines, items of daily use and detonators were recovered from Naxal hideouts and bunkers.”

With the development on Wednesday, over 150 suspected Maoists have been killed in gunfights with security personnel this year. In 2024, 217 suspected Maoists were killed by security forces.

Malini Subramaniam has reported for Scroll that while many of those killed in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh in 2024 were declared by the police to be reward-carrying Maoists, several families dispute the claim. The families claim that the persons killed were civilians.

Two days after the launch of ‘Mission Sankalp’, Subramaniam travelled to the foothills to observe it. On April 23, near Palam village in Telangana, she saw a large pick-up van carrying what appeared to be bodies, wrapped in yellow plastic sheets – possibly, Maoist casualties.

Since March 28, the Communist Party of India (Maoist) has released four statements asking for a ceasefire. “Despite the possibility of the problem being resolved through peace talks, the government is attempting to find a solution through violence and oppression,” the group said in statement on April 25. Taking note of the ongoing security operation, it added: “The operation should be halted immediately. The troops should be withdrawn. We request the government to resolve the problem through talks.”

The Union government has repeatedly vowed to eradicate “Left Wing Extremism” in the country by March 31, 2026.

Also read: As Maoists ask for ceasefire, security forces shell hills sheltering top insurgent leaders