3 Maoists, including Central Committee member with ₹1cr bounty killed
What's the story
Three Maoist rebels were killed in a gunfight with security forces in the Pantitri forest of Hazaribagh district, Jharkhand. The encounter took place on Monday morning within the Gorhar police station limits. Among those killed was Sahdev Soren, alias Parvesh, a Central Committee Member of the Maoists with a bounty of ₹1 crore on his head.
Additional casualties
Other slain Maoists were senior commanders
The encounter also claimed the lives of two other senior Maoist commanders: Raghunath Hembram alias Chanchal and Birsen Ganjhu alias Ramkhelawan. Hembram was a member of the Bihar-Jharkhand Special Area Committee with a bounty of ₹25 lakh, while Ganjhu was a Zonal Committee member carrying a reward of ₹10 lakh. The operation was launched by security forces after receiving intelligence inputs about their presence in the area.
Recovered arms
Multiple weapons recovered from encounter site
The security forces also recovered multiple weapons from the encounter site, including three AK-47 rifles. The bodies of the slain Maoists were recovered during a subsequent search operation. The police said that search operations are still underway in the area to locate any remaining Maoist cadres. This comes a day after another Maoist was killed in Palamu district on Sunday.
Palamu encounter
Maoist commander killed in Palamu district on Sunday
On Sunday, Mukhdev Yadav alias Toofan ji, a self-styled sub-zonal commander of the banned Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC), was killed in an encounter with security forces in Palamu district. Yadav carried a bounty of ₹5 lakh and was wanted in 27 cases across Palamu and Chatra. His body was recovered along with an INSAS rifle, a pistol, and 146 live cartridges during the operation.
Surrender
Senior Maoist leader Sujatha surrenders
On Saturday, Pothula Padmavathi, also known as Sujatha, surrendered to the Telangana police after being underground for 43 years. In 1984, she married another senior Maoist leader, Mallojula Koteshwar Rao alias Kishanji. Kishanji was killed in an exchange of fire with security forces in West Midnapore, West Bengal, on November 24, 2011. Sujatha was elevated to the Central Committee in 2023.