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RAIPUR: A daylong gunfight on the Dantewada-Bijapur border in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region left at least 12 Maoists and three District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel dead Wednesday, marking one of the year’s heaviest losses for the outlawed group as security forces pressed deeper into the insurgency’s crumbling stronghold,Another DRG constable was wounded but was said to be out of danger. The clash erupted around 9am in the forests of Gangaloor near Dantewada and intermittent firing continued through the day across West Bastar division during a joint operation involving DRG teams from Dantewada and Bijapur, STF, and CoBRA units of CRPF.268 Maoists died in security actions across Chhattisgarh With Wednesday’s killings, the number of Maoists shot dead in security actions across Chhattisgarh this year rose to 268 — 239 in Bastar alone, 27 in Gariyaband under Raipur division, and two in Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki in Du-rg. Union home minister Amit Shah has set a March 2026 de-adline for eliminating the M-aoist insurgency nationwide.Bastar range IG P Sundarraj said 12 bodies were retrieved from the site. “Weapons like SLR rifles, .303 rifles and other arms and ammunition have been found,” he said.DRG lost head constable Monu Vadadi and constables Dukaru Gonde and Ramesh Sori, while their wounded colleague Somdev Yadav has been admitted to hospital. Security forces continued combing the dense jungles along the Dantewada-Bijapur axis, where Maoist formations have long attempted to regroup. “Since the operation is still in progress, detailed information cannot be shared. Further details, including the identity and rank of the slain Maoists, will be confirmed after search and clearance,” Sundarraj said.Bijapur SP Jitendra Yadav described the operation as a “decisive and aggressive action” and said the area had been fully cordoned off.Reinforcements were deployed to sweep for more Maoist insurgents. The shootout comes less than three weeks after security forces killed top Maoist commander Madvi Hidma on Nov 18 in the forests of Maredumilli on the Chhattisgarh-Andhra Prade-sh border. Hidma — one of the most wanted Maoist guerrillas accused of executing more than 26 major attacks over two decades — was killed along with his wife Rajje alias Rajakka and four others.
