A top Maoist commander carrying a bounty of Rs 1.1 crore rupees was killed in a joint anti-Naxal operation in Odisha, officials said on Thursday, in what the government described as a major blow to the banned insurgent group.

Ganesh Uikey, a Central Committee member of the CPI (Maoist) and the outfit’s chief in Odisha, was killed during an encounter in the Rampa forest area along the jungle belt bordering Ganjam and Kandhamal districts. The operation was carried out by the Odisha Special Operations Group along with the Central Reserve Police Force and Border Security Force.

Security forces recovered the bodies of four Maoists, including two women, from the encounter site. The operation was being continuously monitored by Odisha Police Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Akhileshwar Singh, officials added.

“In a major operation in Kandhmal, Odisha, 6 Naxalites, including Central Committee Member Ganesh Uike, have been neutralised so far,” Shah wrote in a post on X. “With this major breakthrough, Odisha stands at the threshold of becoming completely free from Naxalism. We are resolved to eliminate Naxalism before the 31st of March 2026.”

Police described Uikey as a senior and battle-hardened leader who had been active for more than a decade in the Odisha-Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra corridor. He was involved in armed squad operations, recruitment and the movement of cadres across dense forest zones, officials said.

Uikey, 69, was known by several aliases, including Pakka Hanumantu, Rajesh Tiwari, Chamru and Rupa. He was a native of Pullemala village under Chendur mandal in Telangana’s Nalgonda district.

Security forces said combing operations were continuing in the area to ensure no remaining insurgents were present.

Source: India Today