India
oi-Prakash KL
A
senior
Maoist
leader
carrying
a
bounty
of
₹1.1
crore
was
killed
in
Odisha
on
Thursday
during
a
fierce
encounter
with
security
forces.
Ganesh
Uike,
a
central
committee
member
of
the
CPI(Maoist)
and
the
head
of
the
banned
outfit
in
Odisha,
was
among
four
rebels
shot
dead
in
Kandhamal
district,
according
to
police.
The
gun
battle
broke
out
in
the
forests
under
Chakapad
police
station
limits
after
a
joint
operation
was
launched
based
on
intelligence
inputs
from
the
Special
Intelligence
Wing.
The
operation
involved
23
teams,
including
personnel
from
the
Special
Operations
Group,
CRPF
and
BSF,
according
to
a
report
in
PTI.
On
Thursday,
Ganesh
Uike,
a
senior
Maoist
leader
with
a
₹1.1
crore
bounty
and
a
central
committee
member
of
CPI(Maoist),
was
killed
in
Odisha’s
Kandhamal
district
during
an
encounter
with
security
forces;
three
other
Maoists
also
died,
and
two
INSAS
rifles
and
a.303
rifle
were
seized.
Multiple
exchanges
of
fire
took
place
before
the
bodies
of
four
Maoists-two
men
and
two
women-were
recovered.
Security
forces
also
seized
two
INSAS
rifles
and
a
.303
rifle
from
the
site.
Police
identified
one
of
the
deceased
as
69-year-old
Uike,
also
known
by
several
aliases
including
Pakka
Hanumantu,
Rajesh
Tiwari,
Chamru
and
Rupa.
He
hailed
from
Pullemala
village
in
Telangana’s
Nalgonda
district.
Preliminary
identification
suggested
that
two
others
killed
were
Bari
alias
Rakesh,
an
Area
Committee
Member
from
Rayagada
under
the
Bansadhara-Ghumusar-Nagavali
division,
and
Amrit,
associated
with
the
supply
Dalam
from
Bijapur.
Their
identities,
however,
are
yet
to
be
officially
confirmed.
Authorities
described
the
operation
as
a
significant
success
against
Maoist
activities
in
Odisha,
given
Uike’s
stature
as
a
central
committee
member
and
his
leadership
role
in
the
insurgency.
