Bhubaneswar: Top Maoist leader Ganesh Uike, who carried a bounty of Rs 1.1 crore, was among six rebels killed in separate gun battles with security forces in Odisha’s Kandhamal district, police confirmed on Thursday, marking one of the most significant anti-Naxal operations in the state in recent years.
Uike, a central committee member of the banned CPI(Maoist), was the head of the outfit’s Odisha unit, according to Sanjeeb Panda, an Additional Director General of Police overseeing anti-Naxal operations. He said two Maoists were first killed during an exchange of fire with security forces in the Gumma forest under the Belghar police station area on Wednesday night. Fresh encounters broke out the following morning in a forested area under the Chakapad police station limits, where four more Maoists, including Uike, were shot dead.
“Four Maoists were killed in the gunfight. One of them was identified as 69-year-old Ganesh Uike, also known by his aliases Pakka Hanumantu, Rajesh Tiwari, Chamru and Rupa,” Panda told reporters. He added that Uike was a native of Pullemala village in Chendur mandal of Telangana’s Nalgonda district. The identities of the other three Maoists killed on Thursday, including two women, were yet to be established.
The two rebels killed on Wednesday night were identified as Bari alias Rakesh, an area committee member of CPI(Maoist), and Amrit, a dalam member. Both were from Chhattisgarh and together carried a bounty of Rs 23.65 lakh, a senior police officer said.
Reacting to the development, Union Home Minister Amit Shah described the operation as a major breakthrough. In a post on X, he said, “In a major operation in Kandhamal, Odisha, six Naxalites, including Central Committee Member Ganesh Uike, have been neutralised so far. With this, Odisha stands at the threshold of becoming completely free from Naxalism. We are resolved to eliminate Naxalism before March 31, 2026.”
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who also holds the home portfolio, congratulated the police and security personnel for what he called their courage, professionalism and coordination. “Today, Odisha has achieved a remarkable success in the campaign to build a Naxal-free India,” he said in a social media message, adding that development and public safety remained the state government’s top priorities.
Director General of Police Y B Khurania said the killing of a central committee member was a significant achievement. “While two Maoists were gunned down on Wednesday, four others, including Ganesh Uike, were neutralised this morning. This has broken the backbone of the Maoists in the state,” he said at a press conference. Khurania noted that operations were continuing along the Kandhamal-Ganjam inter-district boundary and expressed hope of further success.
He also said there were no reports of casualties among security forces. “This is for the first time in recent times that a Maoist commander of central committee rank has been gunned down by security forces in Odisha,” the DGP said.
According to police, the operation was launched on the basis of intelligence inputs and involved 23 teams, including 20 units of the Special Operations Group of Odisha Police, two from the Central Reserve Police Force and one from the Border Security Force. Multiple gunfights were reported on Thursday in different forested areas, after which the bodies of four Maoists, two men and two women, were recovered. Security personnel also seized two INSAS rifles and one .303 rifle.
The encounters came a day after 22 Maoists surrendered before the DGP in neighbouring Malkangiri district. Khurania again appealed to remaining rebels to give up violence and return to the mainstream. He said Odisha’s surrender and rehabilitation policy provided benefits such as financial assistance, housing, ration cards, support for starting businesses and skill training.