In a significant blow to left-wing extremism in the region, a senior Maoist commander and central committee member, Ganesh Uike (69), was among four Naxals killed in a fierce gun battle with security forces in Odisha's Kandhamal district early on Thursday. This brings the total number of rebels eliminated in the district within the past 24 hours to six.
Major Blow to Maoist Leadership in Odisha
The encounter marks the neutralisation of the first commander and central committee member of the banned CPI (Maoist) in Odisha. Ganesh Uike, who carried a combined bounty of Rs 1.1 crore on his head across several states, was the Odisha in-charge of the outlawed organisation. He had assumed the role only in October this year, following the killing of the previous state in-charge, Modem Balakrishna, in Chhattisgarh in September.
Police sources indicated that credible intelligence, partly derived from the surrender of 22 Maoists from Chhattisgarh in Malkangiri district on December 22, helped track Ganesh's movements. The encounter was launched in a forest under Chakapada police limits, near the Rambha range of Ganjam district, based on inputs from the Odisha Special Intelligence Wing (SIW).
Details of the Encounter and Recoveries
According to Kandhamal Superintendent of Police Harish B C, the security personnel recovered the bodies of four Maoists—two men and two women—in uniform. The weapons seized included two INSAS rifles and one .303 rifle. Apart from Ganesh Uike, alias Rupa, Rajesh Tiwari, Chamu, and Pakka Hanumantu, the other slain Naxals were identified as Rajni, Seema, and Umesh. Each of them carried a reward of Rs 1.65 lakh.
Additional Director General of Police (Anti-Naxal Operations) Sanjeeb Panda confirmed the operation's success. Reports state that Ganesh Uike did not show any intent to surrender during the exchange of fire. In his final months, he had remained defiant, even criticising a fellow central committee member for surrendering to Telangana police.
Strategic Setback and Political Reactions
Ganesh Uike, a native of Telangana promoted to the central committee in 2020, was focusing on reviving Maoist activities in the Kalahandi-Rayagada-Kandhamal-Boudh-Nayagarh axis of Odisha. He had recently reorganised local squads and visited Kandhamal about ten days ago to strengthen the organisation's base, aiming to fill the void left by former leader Sabyasachi Panda's arrest in 2014.
Reacting to the operation, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that Odisha is on the verge of becoming completely free from Naxalism. He called it a "significant milestone towards a Naxal-free Bharat" and reiterated the government's resolve to eliminate the menace by March 31, 2026. Odisha Director General of Police Y B Khurania hailed the operation as a "major achievement" for security forces and a "big setback" to the insurgency, noting that Ganesh's death has left the Maoist outfit leaderless in the state.
The back-to-back operations, resulting in six casualties, signal an intensified and effective push by security forces against the Maoist infrastructure in the region.
