Explosives cache discovered during anti-insurgent operation in Chhattisgarh, India
A large cache of explosives was discovered on 31 January during a joint anti-insurgent operation between the Narayanpur Police and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) in the forests in Abujhmad, Chhattisgarh, India. Officials said that the site was being used by Maoist Naxalite insurgents to store supplies for future attacks.
As per official sources via ETV Bharat, the 53rd Battalion of the ITBP and the Narayanpur District Reserve Guard launched a joint operation led by ITBP Commandant Sanjay Kumar and Deputy Commandant Tejveer Singh. The operation intensified combing the dense forest stretch between Madoda and Bhotor, an area considered a safe haven by the Naxalites.
The large Naxalite dump uncovered by security forces included a huge quantity of rations, large drums and daily-use items. Officials said that the recovery indicated that the Naxalites were stockpiling supplies to survive in the forest for extended periods in an attempt to evade action ahead of the 31 March deadline set by union home minister Amit Shah to "eliminate left-wing extremism".
Security forces also recovered a large quantity of detonators and explosives, including a pressure cooker-based IED. The ITBP's bomb disposal squad safely detonated and destroyed the IED on the spot, preventing any casualties.
Sources said all personnel involved in the operation returned safely to their camp after destroying the IED and recovering the supplies. Officials said the success of the operation was not limited to the recovery of weapons and explosives but dealt a direct blow to the logistical lifeline of the Naxalites.
The Naxalites have staged a low-level insurgency against the Indian government as far back as the 1960s, with its peak occurring in the 2000s. In October 2025, the Indian government declared that only three districts were most affected by Naxalite insurgents, down from the previous total of six in March. The most affected districts were named as Bijapur, Sukma and Narayanpur, all in the south of Chhattisgarh.
