Officials reported on Sunday that security forces slain 31 Naxalites in an encounter within the forests of the National Park area in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district. During the operation, the police also seized weapons and explosives from the site.

On Sunday, according to Bastar's police officials, the encounter broke out in the forest. Bastar IG P Sundarraj informed, “31 Naxalites were killed in the encounter in the National Park area of Bijapur district ". "Two jawans, including one from the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the other from Special Task Force (STF), lost their lives, while two others were injured in the gunfight," he added.

According to Sundarraj, as the troops were carrying out a search operation, a violent clash broke out in the forest, resulting in the deaths of at least 31 insurgents and two police officers. Two other police personnel sustained injuries. He stated that search operations were still underway in the area, and security forces had seized weapons, including automatic rifles.

Both injured jawans were reported to be in stable condition.

The rebels have not yet issued any official response.

Police officer Jitendra Yadav noted that Sunday's combat was the largest this year and marked the second major encounter in Chhattisgarh in less than a month.

On January 13 this year, nearly 16 Naxalites were slain in Chhattisgarh’s Gariband district. Indian officials stated that the government had placed a bounty on 12 of them, amounting to approximately $345,000. Additionally, on January 31, eight Maoists were killed during a gunbattle with security forces in Bijapur district.