Top Maoist Leader Ganesh Uike Killed in Major Anti-Naxal Operation in Odisha
CPI (Maoist) Central Committee member carrying a ₹1.10 crore bounty neutralised in Kandhamal encounter as security forces tighten grip on insurgent network.
Security forces have achieved a major success in the anti-Naxal operation in Odisha. Ganesh Uike, a top CPI (Maoist) leader and Central Committee member, was killed in an encounter. Uike carried a bounty of ₹1.10 crore and was considered the main operator of Maoist activities in Odisha.
According to police, the encounter occurred during a special anti-Naxal operation in the forests of Kandhamal district. Security agencies received strong intelligence about the presence of Maoists, following which a search and combing operation was launched in the area.
A total of four Maoists, including two male and two female cadres, were killed in exchanges at different locations during the operation. Police said the encounter took place in the Gumma forest under the Belghar police station area on Wednesday night, while the body of a female Maoist was recovered during a search operation on Thursday morning.
The other Maoists identified by police are Bari alias Rakesh (Area Committee member) and Amrit (Dalam member). Both were residents of Chhattisgarh and carried a total reward of ₹23.65 lakh (approximately $1.5 million USD). The identity of the female Maoist has not yet been ascertained.
Joint teams of the CRPF and BSF, along with the Odisha Police's Special Operations Group (SOG), were involved in the entire operation. Around 23 teams were deployed in the dense forests of Kandhamal and the adjoining Ganjam district. Security forces recovered a large quantity of weapons and equipment from the encounter site, including INSAS rifles, .303 rifles, revolvers, wireless devices, and other communications equipment. Fortunately, no security personnel were reported injured in the operation.
Police say an intensive search operation is still underway in the area to ensure that no other Maoist cadres are hiding nearby.
This encounter comes just days after 22 Maoists surrendered in the neighboring Malkangiri district. Security agencies view this as a sign of increasing pressure on the Maoist network.