Daijiworld Media Network - Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar, Dec 25: In a major breakthrough against Left-Wing Extremism, senior Maoist leader Ganesh Uike, a central committee member of the CPI (Maoist) with a bounty of Rs 1 crore on his head, was killed during a high-intensity security operation in Odisha, police confirmed on Thursday.
The encounter took place in the dense Rampa forest region along the Kandhamal–Ganjam district border. A joint team comprising the Odisha Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG), the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and the Border Security Force (BSF) carried out the operation based on specific intelligence inputs.
Security officials said Uike had been associated with the Maoist movement for nearly 40 years and was considered one of the most influential and dangerous leaders within the banned organisation. Originally from Telangana’s Nalgonda district, he rose through the ranks and was inducted into the Maoist central committee a few years ago, underscoring his strategic role.
Uike was widely known as the chief architect of several major Maoist attacks, including the 2013 Jhiram Ghati massacre in Chhattisgarh that claimed the lives of several senior Congress leaders. Over the last three years, he had been operating out of Odisha’s Kandhamal region, focusing on consolidating Maoist networks and directing guerrilla activities. Within the outfit, he was known by the alias P. Hanumanta.
The same encounter also resulted in the elimination of four other Maoist cadres, including two women. Officials confirmed that the bodies of all five Maoists were recovered from the site.
Odisha Police DIG (Naxal Operations) Akhileshwar Singh said the operation was carefully planned and executed following precise intelligence. He added that senior officers are monitoring the situation closely and extensive combing operations are continuing in the surrounding forest areas to ensure no additional Maoist presence remains.
The death of Ganesh Uike is being viewed as a major setback for the Maoist leadership. The development aligns with the government’s intensified campaign against Left-Wing Extremism, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah reiterating the goal of eliminating the threat nationwide by March 2026.
Recent trends through 2025 point to sustained counter-insurgency efforts, marked by the neutralisation of top leaders and an increasing number of Maoist surrenders.