The anti-Naxal campaign in the Bastar region has kicked off 2026 with its most significant strike yet. As of Saturday, January 3, 2026, security forces have neutralized 14 Maoists in two high-stakes encounters across the southern districts of Sukma and Bijapur.
The thing is, this wasn’t just a random patrol run. It was a surgical strike based on “pinpoint” intelligence that a high-level meeting was happening in the Kistaram forest. Or nothing. Let’s be real, taking out 12 cadres in a single go in Sukma is a massive tactical win for the District Reserve Guard (DRG). Those too.
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The “Bastar Strike” Log: Field Notes
It’s an ongoing situation where the dense jungles of Kistaram and Basaguda are still being combed, and the body count could still climb.
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The “Big Fish”: Among the dead in Sukma is believed to be Sachin Mangdu, the powerful Secretary of the Konta Area Committee.
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The Kicker: Reports suggest Mangdu was the mastermind behind the killing of ASP Akash Girpunje last year. If confirmed, this is a major “closure” moment for the state police.
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The Arsenal: Security forces didn’t just find country-made pistols. They recovered AK-47s, INSAS rifles, and SLRs. This indicates they hit a “hardcore” combat unit, likely the PLGA (People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army).
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The Bijapur Flank: While Sukma was the main event, a second team hit a group in Bijapur at 5 AM, killing two more and recovering a 12-bore rifle.
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The “March 2026” Deadline
And here’s the kicker: this operation is part of “Operation Sankalp,” the final push to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s deadline of March 31, 2026, to eliminate Maoism from India.
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The Momentum: Last year was a bloodbath for the insurgency, with 285 Maoists killed in Chhattisgarh alone.
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The Strategy: The state is using a “saturation” model—building fortified camps every 5 kilometers in what used to be “no-go” zones for the government.
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The Human Cost & The Combing
It’s an ongoing situation where the weather is making things difficult. Fog and low temperatures in the Bastar hills mean the helicopters had a hard time getting in for evacuations or reinforcements earlier this morning.
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Current Status: The search teams are still inside. Formal identification happens once they reach the camps.
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Zero Casualties: So far, no security personnel have been reported injured or martyred in these two specific exchanges.
Basically, the insurgency is being squeezed into smaller and smaller pockets of the Abujhmad forest. If this pace keeps up, that March deadline might actually be more than just political rhetoric.
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End…
