35 Naxalites, including leaders, surrender in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, citing disillusionment with Maoist ideology and impressed by police rehabilitation efforts. Total of 796 Naxalites, 180 with rewards, have joined mainstream under the Lon Varratu campaign.

Two women among those dead, say police sources.

Addressing an election rally in Kanker town, around 150km away from the encounter site, four days ahead of the second round of Lok Sabha polls, Shah took on the Congress and asked party MP Rahul Gandhi to explain what four generations of his family have done for the poor in Chhattisgarh.

Since 2014, security forces have been establishing camps in Maoist-dominated regions, with over 250 such installations set up post-2019, effectively eradicating security vacuums.

In the nearby villages, local tribals, most of them women, could be seen outside, but they were reluctant to speak about what they saw or heard during the encounter on Tuesday.

In Chhattisgarh, the recent encounter that reportedly led to the death of 29 Naxals has sparked a major controversy.  Former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel of the Congress party has raised suspicions about the legitimacy of the encounter, suggesting that some of those killed might have been innocent villagers mistakenly labeled as Naxals.

In a significant clash in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region, a substantial anti-Naxal operation resulted in the death of 18 militants, while also leaving three security personnel wounded. The encounter occurred in the forest area of Chhotebethiya, Kanker, a known hotspot for Naxal activity.

Prem Singh Gawde, the unfortunate victim, was reportedly abducted from his residence by three individuals and taken into the nearby forest.

The operation commenced in the early hours around 6 am near Lendra village under the jurisdiction of Gangaloor police station.

Several items including explosives were recovered from the camp in the Singhbhum forests on Thursday.

The deceased has been identified as Jiten Laguri, who was shot from a close range by CPI (Maoist) rebels on charges of being a police informer. The bullet piercing his body got stuck in the wall of his house, said locals. On Saturday morning, villagers found Laguri dead near his house.

Outlawed rebels of the banned extremist organisation CPI (Maoist) have struck again in Jharkhand killing a former member of their squad in West Singhbhum district and torching several heavy vehicles engaged in Bauxite mining in Gumla district of the State.