SRINAGAR: A senior Maoist leader carrying a bounty of Rs 1.1 crore was killed in a joint anti-Naxal operation in Odisha, dealing a major blow to the banned insurgent outfit, officials said on Thursday, NDTV reported.
Ganesh Uikey, a Central Committee member of the CPI (Maoist) and the group’s chief for Odisha, was killed during an encounter in the Rampa forest area along the dense jungle belt bordering Ganjam and Kandhamal districts. The operation was conducted jointly by the Odisha Special Operations Group, the Central Reserve Police Force and the Border Security Force.
Security forces recovered the bodies of four Maoists, including two women, from the encounter site. Officials said the operation was being closely monitored by Odisha Police Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Akhileshwar Singh.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that six Naxalites, including Uikey, had been neutralised so far in the ongoing operation in the Kandhamal forests, describing it as a significant breakthrough against Left-wing extremism.
In a post on X, Shah said the success of the operation had brought Odisha close to becoming free of Naxalism, reiterating the government’s resolve to eliminate the menace by March 31, 2026.
Police identified Uikey as a seasoned and influential Maoist leader who had been active for over a decade in the Odisha–Chhattisgarh–Maharashtra corridor. He was involved in armed operations, recruitment and the movement of cadres through forested regions.
Uikey, aged 69, was known by several aliases, including Pakka Hanumantu, Rajesh Tiwari, Chamru and Rupa. He hailed from Pullemala village in Chendur mandal of Telangana’s Nalgonda district.
Officials said combing and search operations were continuing in the area to ensure no other insurgents remained hiding in the forests.
