Two Maoists were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Bijapur district, Chhattisgarh, early on Saturday (January 3, 2026), police said. The gun battle broke out around 5 a.m. in a forest in the southern part of the district. A team from the District Reserve Guard, part of the Chhattisgarh police, was conducting an anti-Maoist operation following information about Maoist presence in the area, an official stated. The bodies of two Maoist cadres were found at the scene. The intermittent exchange of fire was still continuing at the time of the report. Further details are awaited, the official added. Last year, security forces killed 285 Maoists in separate encounters across Chhattisgarh. Out of these, 257 were killed in the Bastar division, which includes seven districts such as Bijapur. Additionally, 27 were slain in Gariaband district in the Raipur division.