In Big Blow To Insurgency, 2 Top Maoist Leaders Killed In Encounter On Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra Border

Major Blow to Insurgency: Two Senior Maoist Leaders Eliminated in Encounter at Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra Border

Both Maoist leaders had been operating within the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee for more than three decades.

Raipur:

Security forces have dealt a significant blow to Left-Wing Extremism following the elimination of two high-ranking Maoist leaders during an encounter in the Abhujmad forests along the Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra border.

The deceased have been identified as Raju Dada, also known as Katta Ramachandra Reddy, and Kosa Dada, also known as Kadari Satyanarayana Reddy. Both were Central Committee Members of the CPI (Maoist) and carried bounties of Rs 40 lakh each, as announced by the Chhattisgarh government.

According to Narayanpur Superintendent of Police Robinson, the confrontation began on the morning of September 22, after intelligence reports indicated Maoist movement within the dense Abhujmad region. Sporadic gunfire continued throughout the day before authorities recovered the bodies of the two senior operatives.

Security forces recovered an AK-47 rifle, an INSAS rifle, a BGL launcher, explosives, Maoist literature, and various everyday items from the encounter site.

Both leaders had been active in the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee for over thirty years and were considered strategists behind numerous major attacks that resulted in casualties among security personnel and civilians.

IGP Bastar Range Sundarraj P characterized the operation as a "major setback to the Maoist organisation." He stated, "Despite the challenging terrain and adverse weather, our forces remain resolute in their mission. This encounter proves that decisive operations are steadily dismantling the Maoist leadership."

Addressing remaining Maoist cadres, Sundarraj urged them to "accept the reality that the Maoist movement is nearing its end" and to surrender under the government's rehabilitation policy.

This recent encounter follows one of the most significant counter-insurgency operations in Bastar this May, when security forces eliminated several Maoists, including top politburo leader Basava Raju, who carried a Rs 1.5 crore bounty. That operation came after the Karregutta mission, in which 31 Maoists were killed following a 24-day pursuit across the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border.

Over the past year, numerous senior operatives have been neutralized, including Jayaram alias Chalapathi (Rs 1 crore bounty), Renuka (Rs 45 lakh), Sudhakar alias Narasimhalam (Rs 1 crore), Garlala Ravi (Rs 40 lakh), and Niti alias Nirmala (Rs 25 lakh), among others across Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, and Maharashtra.

Officials indicate that the elimination of Raju Dada and Kosa Dada further weakens the Maoist command structure in the Dandakaranya region, representing another significant advancement in the ongoing counter-insurgency campaign.