17 Maoists, Including Top Central Committee Member, Killed in Intense Jharkhand Encounter
Five women among the deceased in two-day Operation Meghaburu in Saranda forest; forces call it major blow to Naxal leadership.
Security forces delivered a significant setback to the CPI (Maoist) in Jharkhand’s Saranda forest with the killing of 17 Maoists, including a high-ranking Central Committee member, during a prolonged joint operation. Codenamed Operation Meghaburu, the action was launched on Thursday by elite 209 CoBRA commandos, Chaibasa district police, and Jharkhand Jaguar units. The fierce gunbattle claimed the life of Patiram Majhi alias Anal da, a Central Committee Member (CCM) of the outlawed group, who carried a Rs 1 crore reward in Jharkhand and faced 149 criminal cases.
Anal da, considered one of the most wanted Naxalites in the region, was among the first killed on Thursday along with 14 others. Intermittent firing continued into Friday as search teams combed the dense forest terrain. Two additional bodies were recovered during mopping-up operations, raising the total death toll to 17, with five of the deceased being women Maoists. SDPO (Kiriburu) Ajay Kerketta confirmed that the main encounter has ended after nearly two days, though daylight searches will continue to secure the area and recover any arms or evidence.
Security officials are hailing the operation as a major success, severely disrupting the Maoist command structure in one of their traditional strongholds. The Saranda forest, rich in minerals and dense vegetation, has long served as a hideout and operational base for left-wing extremists.
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The encounter aligns with intensified anti-Naxal efforts across central and eastern India. Earlier in January, six Maoists were killed in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently highlighted the rising threat of urban Naxalism during an address to BJP workers. In a related development on Friday, nine Maoists with a combined bounty of Rs 47 lakh surrendered in Odisha’s Nawarangpur district, handing over an arsenal including INSAS and SLR rifles, a carbine, a bharmar gun, ammunition, magazines, and a radio set. Following the surrender, Nawarangpur has been declared free of Naxal influence.
These successive blows to Maoist networks reflect growing pressure on the outfit through sustained operations, surrenders, and rehabilitation programs aimed at ending left-wing extremism in the region.
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