Four women Maoists killed in encounter with police in Madhya Pradesh’s Balaghat

At least four women Maoist operatives were gunned down by Madhya Pradesh Police during an encounter in Balaghat district on Wednesday (February 19, 2025), officials said, adding that a search operation is going on to find the outlawed organisation’s fighters who were injured.

According to the police, based on the input of movement of Maoists, a joint encounter of the State’s anti-Maoist unit Hawk Force and local police was launched early morning near Rhonda Forest Camp in Supkhar Forest Range, close to the Chattisgarh border.

While three bodies were recovered in the early hours, one woman operative’s body was found during a search operation in the evening, Shiyaz K.M., Additional Superintendent of Police, Hawk Force, Balaghat, told The Hindu.

Mr. Shiyaz said that while the four deceased operatives were yet to be identified, “they are likely from Chhattisgarh”.

There were inputs of some Maoist movement from Chhattisgarh for a few days and teams had been constantly searching for them, he said.

Additional SP, Balaghat, Vijay Dabar said that an INSAS rifle, a self-loading rifle (SLR) and another gun were recovered from their possession.

“Some Naxalites were also injured in the encounter who escaped using the dense forest. An extensive search operation is underway by 12 teams of Hawk Force, CRPF’s CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) and local police,” said Mr. Dabar, adding that a total of four “hardcore Naxalites” have been killed.

On Madhya Pradesh’s southeastern border, Balaghat is a left-wing extremism affected district and shares its boundaries with Kabirdham and Rajnandgaon districts of Chhattisgarh and Gondiya and Bhandara of Maharashtra.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav congratulated the State Police involved with the operation and said it was part of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s campaign to end Maoism from the nation by 2026. “This is a big part of our policy that there will be no place for Naxalites and terrorists in Madhya Pradesh. Our police will will only rest after ending Naxalism,” he said.