Dreaded Maoist commander Ganesh Uike, a central committee member of the CPI (Maoist) with a bounty of Rs one crore, was killed in a major anti-Naxal operation in Odisha. Uike was gunned down in an encounter with a joint security force team in the dense Rampa forest area along the Kandhamal-Ganjam district border.
Ganesh Uike, active in the Maoist movement for nearly four decades, was one of the most wanted Maoist leaders in the country. A native of Nalgonda district in Telangana, he held strategic importance within the organization as a central committee member of the banned outfit.
Uike, also known as P. Hanumanta within Maoist ranks, was the mastermind behind the 2013 Jhiram Ghati massacre in Chhattisgarh and was involved in various high-profile Maoist attacks across states. He had been operating in the Kandhamal region of Odisha over the past three years, coordinating guerrilla activities and strengthening Maoist networks.
In the same encounter, four Maoists, including two women cadres, were neutralized. The bodies of all the slain Maoists have been recovered from the encounter site. Odisha Police DIG (Naxal Operations) Akhileshwar Singh confirmed the operation, stating that it was based on specific intelligence inputs.
Senior officers are closely monitoring the situation, with further combing operations underway in the area to eliminate the presence of additional Maoist cadres. The killing of Ganesh Uike is considered a significant blow to the Maoist leadership structure, reflecting the intensified counter-insurgency operations aimed at eliminating Left-Wing Extremism in the country by March 2026.
Developments through 2025 show increased efforts in counter-insurgency operations, resulting in the neutralization of top Maoist leaders and a rise in surrenders.
