Security forces achieved another victory in the ongoing anti-Naxal operation in Jharkhand’s Saranda forest by eliminating a woman Maoist in a recent encounter on Friday morning. The exchange of gunfire occurred between the remote villages of Kumdi and Hinjodiri under the Kiriburu police station area in the Naxal-affected West Singhbhum district. This brings the total number of Maoists killed in the operation to 16.
On Thursday, in a fierce clash with security forces in the dense Saranda forests, 15 Maoists, including Patiram Manjhi alias Anal Da, a Central Committee member of the CPI (Maoist) with a reward of Rs 1 crore, were neutralized. Among those killed were five women. The encounter took place during Operation Medha Buru, launched by a joint team of 209 CoBRA, Jharkhand Jaguar, CRPF, and district police.
After several rounds of exchange, the bodies of 15 Maoists were recovered, along with a significant cache of weapons, ammunition, and daily-use items. The deceased individuals included Anmol alias Sushant (BJSA), Amit Munda (RCM), Pintu Lohra, Laljit alias Lalu, Rajesh Munda, Bulbul Alda, Babita, Purnima, Surajmuni, and Jonga.
Many of them were wanted in numerous serious Naxalite-related cases and carried rewards announced by the Jharkhand and Odisha governments, as well as the NIA. Anal alias Patiram Manjhi, who hailed from Giridih district, had rewards of Rs 1 crore in Jharkhand, Rs 1.2 crore in Odisha, and Rs 15 lakh from the NIA, with 149 criminal cases against him.
Security agencies highlighted that Anal Da’s squad was responsible for various IED blasts and violent incidents in the Kolhan and Saranda regions of Chaibasa since 2022. The killing of Anal Da is expected to have a significant impact on Maoist activities along the Jharkhand-Odisha border. Following the encounter, security forces estimate that the active Maoist count in Jharkhand has reduced to approximately 50 to 60 individuals.
Jharkhand Police have urged the remaining cadres to surrender under the state government’s surrender and rehabilitation policy. An extensive search operation is currently ongoing in the Saranda region, with additional forces deployed.
