A Maoist identified as Rupi was killed in an exchange of gunfire with security personnel in Kanker district, Chhattisgarh, on Monday. This incident occurred just days after the state was declared free of armed Left-wing insurgents on March 31. The police reported that Rupi was a member of the Maoists’ Partapur area committee, and her body, along with a weapon, was recovered from the site of the gun battle, which took place during an anti-Maoist operation. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had previously informed Parliament that significant strides had been made against Maoist activities, with 4,839 Maoists surrendering, 706 killed, and 2,218 arrested over three years of intensified operations. In a related development, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai recently met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss a roadmap for transforming the former Maoist stronghold of Bastar into a region with educational hubs, a medical college, irrigation projects, and eco-tourism initiatives, including a glass bridge and canopy walks.