A major breakthrough in anti-Naxal operations was reported from Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district, where security forces eliminated a senior woman Maoist leader during an encounter in the forested region of Chhotebethiya. The deceased has been identified as Rupi Reddy, an Area Committee Member who had been on the radar of security agencies for a long time.

The encounter took place in the Machpalli forest area under Chhotebethiya police station limits. According to officials, a joint team of security personnel launched a search operation early in the morning after receiving specific intelligence inputs about the presence of Maoist cadres in the region.

Early Morning Search Operation Turns into Gunfight

Security forces initiated a combing operation between 4 and 5 AM in the dense forest. During the operation, Maoists opened fire on the team, prompting a swift retaliation from the forces. The exchange of fire continued for some time before the situation was brought under control.

After the encounter ended, the body of Rupi Reddy was recovered from the spot. A pistol was also seized from her possession, indicating her active involvement in armed insurgent activities.

Key Maoist Figure in North Bastar

Rupi Reddy was considered one of the prominent active cadres in North Bastar following a series of surrenders and eliminations of top Maoist leaders in recent months. Police sources revealed that she had been repeatedly urged to surrender but continued to play a crucial role in Maoist operations.

She was reportedly involved in efforts to prevent other cadres from laying down arms, thereby sustaining Maoist presence in the region.

Connection to Senior Maoist Leader

Rupi Reddy was the wife of Vijay Reddy, a State Committee Member who had earlier been killed in an encounter in the Rajnandgaon and Mohla-Manpur-Chowki region. After his death, Rupi is believed to have taken on a more influential role within the Maoist network in Kanker.

Massive Surrenders and Recovery of Maoist Cache

On March 31, which was set as a deadline for eliminating Maoist influence, a significant number of insurgents surrendered in Bijapur district. A total of 25 Maoists laid down their arms, leading to the recovery of a massive cache valued at around Rs 14 crore. The recovered materials included approximately Rs 3 crore in cash and 7 kilograms of gold, marking one of the largest such recoveries to date.

In addition, 34 Maoists surrendered across four districts, including Dantewada, Sukma, and Kanker. Authorities have claimed that Dantewada district has been largely cleared of Maoist presence.

Continued Efforts to End Maoist Insurgency

Police officials confirmed that search operations are still ongoing in the area to track down other Maoist members who may have fled during the encounter. Efforts are also being made to establish contact with active cadres to encourage surrender.

Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had stated in Parliament that the government had achieved its target of significantly curbing Maoist violence. He emphasized that the influence of Maoists has declined sharply across most parts of the country.

As the Union Home Ministry's March 31, 2026 deadline to eliminate armed Naxalism draws to a close, most of Chhattisgarh's forest divisions have fallen silent. But in the dense jungles straddling the Kanker and Mohla-Manpur border, a small yet significant pocket of resistance endures. Among the last known active cadres in the region are DVCM Chander and Roopi — the latter identified as the wife of senior Maoist commander Vijay Reddy — both of whom have not yet laid down arms, according to local police officials.

The Kanker Superintendent of Police confirmed that while multiple surrenders have taken place in the district over the past week, these two names continue to figure in active intelligence assessments. Their status remains a matter of sustained concern for security agencies working to wrap up anti-Maoist operations before the government's self-imposed timeline expires.

Wave of Surrenders Sweeps the Division

The past fortnight has seen a sweeping collapse of the Rajnandgaon-Kanker Border Division's operational structure. Multiple cadres from the formation surrendered before police in Kanker, handing over weapons including self-loading rifles and .303 rifles. The surrenders have effectively dissolved what was once a functioning organisational unit straddling the forested corridors of northern Bastar.

Most senior-rank Naxalites in the division have either been neutralised in encounters or have already submitted to authorities. The RKB Division, which once ran a clandestine network across this belt, has largely ceased to function as an organised fighting force.

Who Are Roopi and Chander?

Roopi, an Area Committee Member, is reported to be the wife of Vijay Reddy, a Senior Committee Member who was previously active in the same geographic belt. Chander, holding the rank of Divisional Committee Member, is considered a more operationally significant figure. Both have been the subject of sustained outreach efforts by police for several months, according to officials familiar with the matter.

Despite long-running speculation about their surrender, Chander and Roopi have not yet laid down their weapons. Approximately 17 Naxalites are believed to still be active in the jungles of Kanker. Security forces have been working to establish contact with these remaining cadres, urging them to abandon violence and return to mainstream life under the state's rehabilitation framework.

Broader Collapse of Maoist Leadership

The Kanker situation sits within a far larger picture of Maoist disintegration across Chhattisgarh. Since January 2024, thousands of Maoists have surrendered across Bastar division's seven districts, including Kanker, Kondagaon, Bastar, Narayanpur, Bijapur, Dantewada, and Sukma — representing one of the most decisive breakdowns of Left Wing Extremism in the region's history.

The most dramatic development came in the final week of March, when a senior DKSZC-rank commander laid down arms along with nearly two dozen cadres. Senior police officials declared that for the first time in the history of the Maoist movement in Dandakaranya, the outfit has effectively become leaderless at the district and divisional level.

Government Reaffirms the March 31 Target

Senior officials have made no secret of their confidence that the end is near. The state government has stated that nearly 96 per cent of Bastar's vast geographical area is now free from Naxal influence, and that no active Maoists of DKSZC rank remain operational in Chhattisgarh.

Plans are also underway to convert nearly 400 security camps — once the pivot of the anti-Maoist fight — into public infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, and centres for collection and processing of minor forest produce. The announcement signals a decisive shift from a security-led posture to a development-focused one across the Bastar belt.

Rehabilitation at the Core of the Campaign

The government's approach has not relied on force alone. A formal rehabilitation process has been put in place for surrendered cadres across the region. Under state-run initiatives, senior police officers welcomed surrendering Maoists with copies of the Constitution, while community representatives offered gestures of reconciliation as part of a structured reintegration process.

Officials say surrendered cadres receive financial assistance, vocational training, and help reintegrating into tribal communities — a framework designed to ensure that a return to violence is not a viable option for those who choose peace.

What Comes Next

With just days left before the March 31 deadline, the focus in Kanker has narrowed sharply to the remaining holdouts, including DVCM Chander and Roopi. Senior police officials have expressed hope that the few remaining cadres — now wandering in small, scattered groups — will choose the path of peace and return to the mainstream before the window closes.

Security agencies continue their outreach operations in the Kanker forests, and officials indicated that contact attempts with the last active cadres are ongoing. Whether Roopi and Chander follow the trail blazed by thousands of their former comrades — or choose to remain in the jungle — may well define the final chapter of organised Naxalism in Chhattisgarh's northern belt.