25 December,2025 06:24 PM IST | Bhubaneswar | mid-day online correspondent
Communist Party of India (Maoist) central committee member Ganesh Uike carried a bounty of Rs 1.1 crore. Representational pic
Top Maoist leader Ganesh Uike was among six Maoists killed in separate gunfights with security forces in Odisha's Kandhamal District, police said on Thursday, terming the operation a major success against Left-wing extremism in the state.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah described the development as a "major breakthrough", while Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi called it a "remarkable success" in the campaign to make India free of Naxalism, news agency PTI reported.
Communist Party of India (Maoist) central committee member Uike, who carried a bounty of Rs 1.1 crore, was the chief of the banned outfit in Odisha, said Sanjeeb Panda, an additional director general (ADG) of police heading anti-Naxal operations in the state.
According to Panda, two Maoists from Chhattisgarh were killed in an exchange of fire with security forces in the Gumma Forest in the Belghar Police Station area on Wednesday night. Fresh gunfights erupted on Thursday morning in a forest under the Chakapad Police Station area, during which four more Maoists, including Uike, were killed, PTI reported.
"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. He was a native of Pullemala village under Chendur mandal in Telangana's Nalgonda district," Panda said.
The identities of the other three Maoists killed on Thursday, including two women, are yet to be ascertained, he added.
In a post on X, Shah said, "In a major operation in Kandhamal, Odisha, six Naxalites, including central committee member Ganesh Uike, have been neutralised so far. With this major breakthrough, Odisha stands at the threshold of becoming completely free from Naxalism. We are resolved to eliminate Naxalism before March 31, 2026."
Majhi, who also holds the home portfolio, congratulated the police personnel for their courage, professionalism and coordination.
"Today, Odisha has achieved a remarkable success in the campaign to build a Naxal-free India," he said, adding that peace, development and public safety remained the government's top priorities.
Addressing a press conference, Director General of Police (DGP) YB Khurania said, "While two Maoists were gunned down on Wednesday, four others, including Ganesh Uike, were neutralised this morning. The killing of a central committee member is a big success for Odisha Police and has broken the backbone of Maoists in the state."
He added that operations were continuing along the Kandhamal-Ganjam inter-district boundary and described the exercise as one of the biggest anti-Maoist operations in Odisha in recent years. There were no reports of casualties on the security forces' side, stated Khurania.
"This is the first time in recent years that a Maoist of central committee rank has been killed by security forces in Odisha," the DGP said.
Based on intelligence inputs, a joint operation involving 23 teams - 20 from the special operations group of Odisha Police, two from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and one from the Border Security Force (BSF) - was launched in the Chakapad Police Station area of Kandhamal and the adjoining Rambha Forest Range in Ganjam District, he said.
"Multiple gunfights took place in different areas on Thursday. Later, four bodies of Maoists - two men and two women - were recovered. Two INSAS rifles and a .303 rifle were also seized," Khurania added.
The two Maoists killed on Wednesday night were identified as CPI (Maoist) area committee member Bari alias Rakesh and dalam member Amrit, both from Chhattisgarh, a senior police officer said.
They carried a combined bounty of Rs 23.65 lakh, PTI reported.
The gunfights followed the surrender of 22 Maoists before the DGP in neighbouring Malkangiri District on Tuesday. Khurania once again appealed to remaining Maoists to lay down arms and return to the mainstream.
"Odisha's surrender and rehabilitation policy is among the best in the country. Surrendered Maoists are provided benefits including financial assistance, housing, ration cards, support for self-employment and skill training," he said.
(With PTI inputs)
