Two more Maoist cadres were killed on Sunday morning in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district during an ongoing anti-Maoist operation, police confirmed. This came a day after security forces killed four Maoists in the same area on Saturday. Bijapur Superintendent of Police Jitendra Yadav said the fresh encounter occurred in the forested hills of the district’s northwestern region. The operation includes personnel from the Special Task Force (STF), District Reserve Guard (DRG), and CoBRA, the elite CRPF unit. The four Maoists killed on Saturday were identified as senior cadre Dilip Vedja, a divisional committee member, area committee members Madvi Kosa and Lakkhi Madkam, and party member Radha Metta. All were active in the National Park Area Committee of the Maoists. The identities of the two Maoists killed on Sunday are yet to be confirmed. Six weapons were recovered from the encounter sites, including an AK-47 rifle, an INSAS rifle, a carbine, and a .303 rifle. The operation began on January 17 after receiving specific intelligence about Vedja and other armed cadres in the area. Search operations are ongoing. With this, at least 20 Maoists have been killed in separate encounters across Chhattisgarh so far in 2026. On January 3, 14 Maoists were killed in two separate encounters in Bastar, which includes Bijapur district. Last year, 285 Maoists were killed in encounters. The Centre aims to eliminate Left-Wing Extremism in India by March 31, 2026.