"Involved in many successful Naxal operations": Bastar IG pays tribute to DRG jawan Raju Oyam

Bijapur (Chhattisgarh) [India], March 21 (ANI): The Police personnel on Friday paid tribute to Raju Oyam, District Reserve Guard (DRG) jawan, who sacrificed his life in the line of duty during an encounter with the Naxals in the Bijapur-Dantewada area.
Speaking to ANI, the Inspector General of Police of Bastar, P Sundarraj, said that Raju Oyam was involved in many successful Naxal operations.
"Bodies of 26 Naxals' were recovered yesterday. One of our soldiers, Raju Oyam, lost his life. Earlier, Raju Oyam was associated with the Maoist organization. In 2020, he decided to come out of the Maoist organization and join the mainstream. After that, in the last 5 years, he was involved in many successful Naxal operations. He lost his life yesterday," Bastar IG told ANI.
In two separate encounters with Naxalites in Chhattisgarh, security forces recovered 30 bodies of Naxalites along with a large cache of firearms during search operations, as per a senior official.
Speaking to ANI after two separate encounters with Naxalites in the two districts, IG Sundarraj said, "Operations were conducted today in various areas of the Bastar district. In the Bijapur-Dantewada border region, we have recovered the bodies of 26 Naxalites."
"A large number of AK-47 rifles, as well as automatic and semi-automatic weapons, have also been seized. One personnel of the Bijapur District Reserve Guard (DRG) lost his life during the encounter," he said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah in a post on X assured that the country would be 'Naxal-free' before March 31, 2026.
"Today our soldiers have achieved another big success in the direction of 'Naxal Mukt Bharat Abhiyan'. 22 Naxalites were killed in 2 separate operations of our security forces in Bijapur and Kanker of Chhattisgarh. The Modi government is moving forward with a ruthless approach against Naxalites and is adopting a zero tolerance policy against those Naxalites who are not surrendering despite all the facilities ranging from surrender to inclusion. The country is going to be Naxal-free before 31 March next year," Shah posted on X.
The joint efforts of the police and central forces have brought development to several Naxal strongholds, strengthening public trust in government initiatives. (ANI)