Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], March 20 : Former Deputy Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh and senior Congress leader TS Singh Deo on Thursday attributed the violence in the state to Naxal groups who refused to abandon violence and arms.
Speaking to ANI, Deo said, "Such incidents are coming to the fore in the encounter against the people of Naxal ideology due to not abandoning violence and continuously taking up arms."
This comes amid intensified anti-Maoist operations in the state, which have resulted in the elimination of 105 Naxals in encounters so far this year.
Deo highlighted the significant deployment of paramilitary forces in the region, with over 60 battalions stationed in Chhattisgarh. He emphasised that these forces are available in sufficient numbers in the affected areas, underscoring the government's efforts to tackle the Naxal threat.
"Today, more than 60 battalions of paramilitary forces are deployed in Chhattisgarh. Paramilitary forces are available in sufficient numbers in the affected areas," he further added.
The former Deputy CM also met Chhattisgarh CM Hemant Soren, as per a release.
Earlier in the day, security forces recovered the bodies of 30 Naxalites along with a large cache of firearms during search operations in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur and Kanker districts on Thursday, Bastar Inspector General of Police P Sundarraj said.
Speaking to ANI after two separate encounters with Naxalites in the two districts, IG Sundarraj said, "Operations were conducted today in various areas of the Bastar district. In the Bijapur-Dantewada border region, we have recovered the bodies of 26 Naxalites."
"A large number of AK-47 rifles, as well as automatic and semi-automatic weapons, have also been seized. One personnel of the Bijapur District Reserve Guard (DRG) lost his life during the encounter," he said.
Speaking about the encounter near the Kanker-Narayanpur border, the IG said that four Naxalites were killed in the gunfight, and their bodies were recovered during a search operation. "The search operation is still underway in the area," he added.
The encounter in Bijapur district broke out on Thursday morning during a search operation carried out by security forces in Bijapur district.
In a separate operation in Kanker district, four Naxalites were killed during a gunfight near a village.