Eleven security personnel were injured in six Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blasts during an anti-Maoist operation in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Sunday, police said on Monday.
“The injured jawans were airlifted to Raipur for treatment. Their condition is stable, and they are recovering well,” said inspector general Sunderraj P.
The IEDs went off during the operation launched following inputs about the presence of Maoists in a forested area near the Karegutta hills along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border. The area is believed to be a stronghold of the first battalion of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army, the armed wing of the Maoists.
The IED blasts took place at different intervals. Three of the personnel sustained serious leg injuries, while three others suffered splinter injuries to their eyes.
This year, 20 Maoists have been killed in separate operations in the state. Bijapur accounted for a majority of the anti-Maoist operations in 2024 and 2025 amid heightened counter-insurgency efforts. The Union government has set a March 31, 2026, deadline for ending the Left-wing insurgency.
The killing of Maoist chief Nambala Kesava Rao, alias Basavaraju, on May 20 marked the most significant success against the Left-wing insurgency in years. The Union government has said that the number of Left-Wing insurgency-hit districts has fallen to 11, from 18 in April.