On December 18, 2025, security forces from the District Reserve Guard (DRG) killed three Naxalites, including a woman cadre, in a fierce gunfight in Sukma district’s Golapalli forest area, Chhattisgarh, following intelligence inputs on Maoist presence. Sukma SP Kiran Chavan confirmed recovery of three bodies, weapons, and explosives, with operations ongoing in this Bastar stronghold. This marks the latest success in a year where 284 Naxalites have been eliminated statewide—255 in Bastar—eroding Maoist networks and enabling development in insurgency-hit zones. From India’s strategic lens, these operations fortify internal security, counter urban Naxal threats, and align with the March 2026 deadline to eradicate Left-wing extremism, paving the way for infrastructure and governance in tribal heartlands.