Indian Forces Kill Nine in Chhattisgarh Anti-Naxal Operation

Nine people, including three women, were killed by the Indian Special Task Force (STF) and District Reserve Guard (DRG) in Chhattisgarh during a cordon and search operation. The operation took place in a forest on the border of Narayanpur and Kanker districts. According to Kashmir Media Service, Indian police have labeled the deceased as Naxalites, claiming the operation was part of anti-Naxal efforts. The police stated that the operation did not result in any casualties among the security personnel. This incident is part of a broader series of actions this year that have seen 88 individuals, described by police as Naxalites, killed in what are often alleged to be fake encounters by Indian forces in the Bastar region. The same region witnessed another violent incident where Joga Podiyam, a 44-year-old Congress leader and former Janpad Panchayat member, was brutally murdered at his home in Potali, Dantewada district. The assailants reportedly cut the electricity to his house before killing him.