3 Maoists killed in Gadchiroli gunfight near Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra border

 

At least 3 Maoists killed and one C-60 commando lost his life after police teams exchanged fire with Maoists during a search operation near the Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra border in Gadchiroli on February 6.

 

The encounter broke out in the Bhamragad tehsil area of Gadchiroli district when C-60 commandos moved into the Abujhmarh forest for a search early Friday morning. Maoists opened fire on the team, prompting security forces to respond. During the exchange, C-60 commandos shot dead 3 Maoists.

 

The gunfight left two policemen injured. Authorities airlifted one of them to hospital, where doctors treated him for injuries. Constable Deepak Chinna Madavi, aged 38, suffered critical wounds during the encounter. A helicopter rushed him to the Bhamragad sub-district hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries during treatment.

 

 

Maharashtra Police confirmed the encounter and said search operations continued in the surrounding forest areas after the exchange of fire. Security teams recovered an AK-47 rifle and an SLR rifle from the spot. Officials said they began efforts to establish the identities of the killed Maoists.

 

 

The latest clash followed another major operation a day earlier along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border. On February 5, security forces killed Maoist commander Udham Singh in an encounter in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh. Udham Singh had played a role in the 2021 Tekulgudem encounter, in which Maoists killed 22 security personnel. Police records linked him to several violent incidents.

 

 

Udham Singh served as the commander of Platoon Number 30 and also headed the Jagargunda Area Committee. Authorities had announced a reward of Rs 8 lakh on him.

 

 

Bijapur superintendent of police Dr Jitendra Kumar Yadav said security forces achieved significant results in anti-Naxal operations. During 2025, forces killed 163 Maoists in separate encounters in the district. In 2026 so far, operations led to the killing of 11 Maoists.

 

From January 2024 till now, anti-Naxal campaigns in the district resulted in the deaths of 232 Maoists. Police arrested 1,163 Maoists during this period, while 888 Maoists gave up violence and joined the mainstream, according to official data.