Maoist Insurgency: Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2024

On January 1, a six-month-old girl child was killed, her mother sustained a bullet injury on her hand, and two District Reserve Guards (DRG) jawans (personnel) were injured in the exchange of fire between the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) and DRG jawans in the forests of Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh, reports The Indian Express. A joint operation of area domination exercise was undertaken by DRG and the Central Police Reserve Force (CRPF). Read less...

On January 5, at least three Special Operations Group (SOG) jawans (personnel) were injured when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), suspected to have been planted by the Communist Party of India (CPI-Maoist), exploded during a combing operation in the Badepanga forests bordering Boudh-Kandhamal in the Boudh District of Odisha, reports The New Indian Express. Read less...

A former Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadre, identified as Pujari Ramudu alias Bheemanna (59), was found brutally beaten to death near RS Pendakal railway station in Kurnool District of Andhra Pradesh on January 6, reports jantaserishta.com. Pujari, a resident of RS Pendakal village, is also known to be the brother of Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRC) women's wing president and Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) Pothula Sunita. He was associated with the Maoist gang for 30 years. He later surrendered before the police in 1991 and started leading a normal life. On January 6, some unknown people attacked Ramudu with stones, due to which he died. After the incident, the attackers fled from the spot. Read less...

On January 6, a 25-year-old school teacher, identified as Ramlal Nureti, was arrested from Karekatta village under Madanwada Police Station limits in Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki District of Chhattisgarh for allegedly being a Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) supporter, reports Devdiscourse. Angered by the arrest, a group of villagers, including schoolchildren, have launched a protest in front of Sitagaon Police Station, demanding his release. Ramlal was allegedly involved in putting up Maoist banners and posters in the area in September last year, the Police said. On September 15, 2023, the police recovered posters and banners from the Madanwada area, where Maoists appealed to observe the 19th anniversary of the outlawed movement, the Police added. Read less...

The Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres targeted a construction site and set ablaze at least three machines involved in soil cutting at Bariatu in Chandwa in the Latehar District of Jharkhand on January 6, reports The Avenue Mail. Kashyap Construction, responsible for the third railway line project in Bariatu, faced disruption as Poclain, JCB, and mixer machines were burned by the Maoists. Following the arson, at least seven rounds of firing were also reported, creating an atmosphere of fear and panic in the area. Read less...

Vehicles engaged in bridge construction work on the Manak River in Kurumdari village in Simaria in Chatra District of Jharkhand were set on fire by cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) on January 6, reports The Avenue Mail. Read less...

Five cadres of the Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC), a splinter group of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), were arrested from the Tandwa Police Station area in Chatra District of Jharkhand on January 7, reports latestly.com. Superintendent of Police (SP) Rakesh Ranjan said a 'sub-zonal commander' identified as Adesh Kumar Ganjhu alias Prabhakar Ji, wanted in several cases of arson and extortion in the Tandwa coalfield area, was among the five arrestees. The other four were identified as Upendra Kumar Ganjhu alias Bhola, Laldev Kumar Ganjhu, Pintu Kumar Ganjhu and Rajesh Kumar Ganjhu. Arms and ammunition were also seized from them. Among these were a rifle, two pistols, 14 live cartridges, a knife, and pamphlets of the banned organisation, the SP said. Read less...

Security Forces (SFs) arrested three Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres, identified as Madakam Handa (35), Medium Podia (38) and Korsa Dhurva (21), allegedly involved in the attack on a team of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), in which one officer was killed and another soldier was injured, from Pandumeta hills under Jagargunda Police Station area in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh on January 7, reports ibc24.in. All three were active as members of Dandakaranya Adivasi Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan (DAKMS) in Jagargunda. Officials said, “The arrested Naxalites [Left Wing Extremists, LWEs] were involved in the attack on a team of the 165th battalion of the CRPF on December 17. CRPF Sub Inspector Sudhakar Reddy was killed in the attack, and a constable was injured by the bullet.” Read less...

Suspected Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres set ablaze several vehicles, including dumpers and trucks, parked near the Serangdag bauxite mine at the Ghagra community development (CD) block in Gumla District of Jharkhand on January 9, reports indiatvnews.com. “A search operation has been launched to nab the miscreants, who are believed to be members of a Maoist outfit,” the Police officer said, adding that the demand for ‘levy’ (extortion money) is likely to be the reason behind the act. Read less...

A woman Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) hailing from Chhattisgarh, identified as Ungi Madvi alias Roshni, surrendered before the Police in Malkangiri District of Odisha on January 10, reports The Times of India. Madvi, a resident of Pitadaba village under Katekalyan Police limits in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh, was an active member of Mahupadar Local Organising Squad (LOS) in Kanger Ghati area associated with the ‘Dharba division’ of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) of the CPI-Maoist and was reportedly involved in several Maoist offensives in the district. The Odisha government had announced a cash reward of INR 100,000 on her head. In a release, the Police said establishment of Border security force (BSF) Company Operating Bases (COBs) at Mahupadar, Temurpalli and Kartanpalli, which created a peaceful and secure environment in Tulsi Pahad area, also led her to surrender, Malkangiri Superintendent of Police (SP) Nitesh Wadhwani said. Read less...

Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres shot dead their former companion Nelson Bhengra near his house in West Singhbhum District of Jharkhand on January 10, reports The New Indian Express. He was accused of being a ‘police informer’. Bhengra, who was once active in subversive activities in the Saranda area, was a resident of Samtha village in Jeraikela, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Saranda Forest Division. “After getting information about the killing, the police launched an intensive search operation in the Kolhan jungles and recovered the dead body in the afternoon. He had a criminal history and had been to jail in Jharkhand and Odisha as well,” said West Singhbhum Superintendent of Police (SP) Ashutosh Shekhar. Prima facie, it appears that he has been killed by the Maoists, he added. Read less...

Prominent Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) leader Sabyasachi Goswami alias Kishore (55) was arrested from a house in Chounia village under Bagmundi subdivision in Purulia District of West Bengal on January 11, reports The Telegraph. Police recovered Maoist literature and a 9mm pistol from Goswami, who was produced in court and remanded in Police custody for 14 days on January 12. Goswami, originally from Ghola in Sodepur, North 24-Parganas District, has been arrested at least five times since 2004 in connection with alleged Maoist activities. In 2022, he was last arrested in a village in South 24-Parganas but walked out on bail. Sources said the National Investigating Agency (NIA), probing ultra-Left activities in Assam, had been looking for Goswami for allegedly masterminding the Maoist movement in the Northeast. The central agency had also announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for any tip-off about Goswami. Purulia police said Goswami was wanted in several cases by various state and central agencies and in one case in the district. Read less...

The Chhattisgarh government has extended an invitation to the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) to engage in unconditional talks, suggesting that dialogue can take place through video conferencing if they are reluctant to come for physical meetings, reports The Times of India on January 11. The aim of the dialogue is to restore peace and stability in the tribal region. Read less...

The joint team of Security Forces (SFs), consisting of Bastar Fighters and District Reserve Guards (DRG), recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition in between Danteshpuram and Korajguda in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh on January 11, reports The Free Press Journal. The SF team recovered two Under Barrel Grenade Launchers (UBGL), 12 bolt guns, one bird hunting rifle, 16 BGL cells, 24 BGL cartridges, three backpacks, a magazine pouch, one bundle of red cloth, and other daily use items, including banned Naxal [Left Wing Extremism, LWE] literature. The Maoists escaped deep into the jungle, seeing the Police team approaching their location, Sukma Police said. Read less...

The Security Forces (SFs) thwarted potential subversive activities by the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) by recovering an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) weighing seven kilogrammes in the forest and hilly areas around the Meralgada village under the Goilkera Police Station area in West Singhbhum District of Jharkhand on January 11, reports The Avenue Mail. A joint operation team comprising Chaibasa Police, Central Reserve Police Force's (CRPF) Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) 209 Bn, 203 Bn, 205 Bn, Jharkhand Jaguar, and CRPF 60, 197, 157, 174, 193, 134, launched the combing operation following information about the presence of top leaders of the CPI-Maoist outfit, including Misir Besra, Anmel, Maechhu, Chaman, Kande, Ajay Mahta, Sagden Angriya, and Ashwin, along with their squad members, in the Kolhan area. Later, the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) diffused the IED safely. Read less...

A Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) ‘militia’ (people’s army of the Maoists) ‘commander’, identified as Toya Potam alias Somlu (30), carrying a reward of INR 100,000 on his head, was killed in an encounter with Security Forces (SFs) during an anti-Naxal [Left Wing Extremism, LWE] operation in a forest near Pusnar village under Gangalur Police Station limits in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh on January 12, reports NDTV. "Intelligence inputs were received about the presence of senior Naxalites, including Gagalurarea committee secretary Dinesh Modiyam, and some 20–25 armed ultras cadres in Pusnar forest. In the ensuing gunfight, Naxalite Toya Potam alias Somlu (30), was killed," a Police official said. "Potam carried a reward of ₹ 1 lakh and was the militia commander of the outlawed Maoist organization. Four warrants were pending against him. He was involved in acts of murder, attacks on security forces, etc.," the official said, adding that arms, explosives, and other items have been recovered from the site. Read less...

Three Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres, one of whom carried a reward of INR 500,000 on his head, surrendered in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh on January 13, reports The Pioneer. Lokesh Muchaki alias Ganga alias Barum, Muchaki Muda, and Ayata Kuhdam turned themselves in on January 13, Dantewada Superintendent of Police (SP) Gaurav Rai said. Ganga, who carried the bounty, was the Dumam Local Organisation Squad (LOS) ‘commander’ while the two others were lower-rung cadres of the CPI-Maoist outfit. The trio was involved in several Naxalite [Left Wing Extremist, LWE] incidents. Read less...

An encounter took place between Security Forces (SFs) and cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) near the hill of Takameta village in Narayanpur District of Chhattisgarh on January 14, reports The Print. After the exchange of fire, the SFs arrested four Maoists identified as Aaitu Ram Nuruti (26), Manoj Hichami (22), Suresh Nuruti (25), and Budhu Ram Padda (25) during the operation, which was part of Operation Surya-Shakti undertaken by the SFs. 'Operation Surya-Shakti' was conducted between January 12 and 16 in villages including Urchapal, Paraidhi, Pangur, Tekameta, Musparse, Kukur and others, a Bastar Police statement said. Read less...

Security Forces (SFs) exchanged fire with the cadres of the Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC), a splinter group of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) in Angarha Forest in Kunda in Chatra District of Jharkhand on January 15, reports Devdiscourse. The TSPC cadres managed to escape from the spot after the rebels realised that they could be overpowered by the joint team of the District Police, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and personnel of the Special Forces Jaguar, Chatra Superintendent of Police (SP) Rakesh Ranjan said. ''The forest area has been cordoned off, and the operation is going on. Three firearms were recovered from the spot,'' the SP added. Read less...

The cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) allegedly killed a man, identified as Rishu Punem, in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh on January 15, reports The Pioneer. The body of Rishu Punem was found near Pusnar village in the Gangalur area, Bijapur Superintendent of Police (SP), Anjaneya Vaishnav, said. The incident came to light after some villagers informed the Police that Punem’s body was lying on the road, a few kilometres from Pusnar village. Allegedly, the Maoists killed the villager in a fit of rage after the killing of Gangalur Area Committee’s ‘Jan Militia’ (people’s army of the Maoists) ’commander’ Toya Potam by the Police on January 12. Read less...

A Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadre, identified as Ratan Kashyap alias Salam (31), involved in the killing of three Policemen and carrying a reward of INR 500,000 on his head, was killed in a gunbattle with Security Forces (SFs) in the forest near Mangnar village under Barsur Police Station limits in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh on January 16, reports Deccan Herald. Personnel of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Bastar Fighters (BF), both State Police units, and the Central Reserve Police Force's (CRPF) 195th battalion were out on an anti-Naxal [Left Wing Extremism, LWE] operation after receiving intelligence inputs about the presence of armed Naxals of the Aamdai Area Committee in the Mangnar Forest, a senior Police official said. Kashyap was the Todma ‘Militia Platoon Deputy Commander’ as well as an Aamdai ‘Area Committee Member (ACM)’ of the outlawed Maoist organisation, the officer added. In 2020, Kashyap was involved in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in which two Policemen were killed and in the murder of a Policeman elsewhere in the Mardum area of Bastar District, the official said. Kashyap was involved in a total of nine Naxal violence incidents in Dantewada and Bastar Districts, he added. Read less...

A gunfight took place between Security Forces (SFs) and cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) in the hills between Takilkot and Binagunda villages in Kanker District of Chhattisgarh on January 16, reports The Print. A makeshift Maoist unit that manufactured Barrel Grenade Launchers (BGLs) was demolished during the operation. A Bipod Grenade Launcher, 14 BGL shells, two air rifles, two muzzle-loading weapons, three INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) magazines, a telescope, two generators, Maoist uniforms, and food materials in huge quantities were also recovered. “Given the amount of arms and ammunition recovered, it seems that the Maoists had hidden these things with the aim to cause damage to security forces, citizens and public property,” Bastar Police said. Read less...

Chhattisgarh Police have refuted the claims of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) that as many as 35 security personnel were killed in the PLGA (People's Liberation Guerilla Army) attack on the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Dharmaram camp in Pamed area in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh on January 16, reports Telangana Today on January 23. The Police described the claims of CPI-Maoist ‘central regional bureau (CRB)’ ‘spokesperson’ Pratap about the casualties on the Police side as far-fetched and baseless. They asserted that only four security personnel lost their lives in the attack. According to sources, as many as 65 Maoist sympathisers and those supporting the Maoists have been arrested in the Bastar region in the past week following the attack, and a probe is underway into the incident. Read less...

The Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) ‘central regional bureau (CRB)’ has described the January 16 PLGA (People's Liberation Guerilla Army) attack on the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Dharmavaram camp in Pamed area in the Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh state as "unprecedented," reports Telangana Today on January 22. Its ‘spokesperson’ Pratap, in a statement released to the media on January 22, claimed the attack was a “befitting reply to the recently launched ‘Operation Kagaar-Surya Shakti’ by the Brahmanical Hindutva fascist rulers to eradicate the Maoist movement and to the ongoing onslaught on adivasis”. The PLGA fighters, along with thousands of revolutionary masses, executed the raid. In the three-hour raid, the guerillas fired more than 600 grenade launcher shells and other country-made grenades with rapid firings on the CRPF camp, he said. Pratap claimed that as many as 35 security personnel were killed and more than 40 were seriously injured. Prior to the raid, the guerillas took the entire periphery of the camp under their control. The locals disabled the movement of additional forces by blocking the roads with huge tree logs, and the militia kept landmines to attack the incoming forces. A Maoist ‘commander’ Devalu, ‘battalion member’ Vikram, and People’s ‘militia’ (people’s army of the Maoists) member Madkam Devalu were killed during the raid. Police officials, the State and Central governments were silent regarding the raid and trying to keep the details of casualties on their side in darkness, Pratap alleged. Police barricaded the total area, not allowing the journalists to cover the facts and figures of the raid. Thousands of police were deployed in Bastar division, particularly Narayanpur district, to establish several new advanced base camps. In order to keep their morale high, the higher officials were hiding the facts, Pratap said. Another reason for hiding the facts was that the newly elected BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) government in Chhattisgarh feared the opposition parties’ criticism of its failure to tackle the Maoists. The Centre also feared that the attack might divert public attention from the Ram Janmabhoomi temple consecration, Pratap alleged, adding that the BJP government was hiding the facts in view of the upcoming 2024 general election and to preserve its power at the Centre. Read less...

The Special Task Force (STF) of Assam Police arrested a senior functionary of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), who was declared "most wanted" by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2022, from the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) in Guwahati (Kamrup Metropolitan), the capital of Assam, on January 16, reports The Times of India. The 54-year-old leader, Amiruddin Ahmed alias Amiruddin Laskar alias Sunil alias Rana Choudhury alias Rana Das alias Suryo, was declared "most wanted" in May 2022 as he was absconding after CPI-Maoist ‘central committee (CC) member’ and ‘politburo’ of the CPI-Maoist, Arun Kumar Bhattacharjee, was arrested in March that year in Barak Valley in Cachar District. Ahmed is a resident of Dhubri District, Assam. According to the Police, the alleged senior Maoist leader joined the organisation in 2009 and was allegedly officiating as a mass organiser in the Cachar area in Assam’s Barak Valley as well as the observer for Dibrugarh District of Assam. The Police stated that the accused was camping in various Adivasi-inhabited areas of the Barak Valley and was working for the organisation. Read less...

A Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) camp was busted and a huge quantity of explosive materials and ammunition seized by Security Forces (SFs) following an exchange of fire with a group of Maoists in the Budhakhol Forest area in Boudh District of Odisha on January 17, reports odishabytes.com. Acting on a tip-off about the presence of Maoists, the combing team launched a search operation in the forest. On seeing the force movement, the Maoists opened fire, and the security personnel fired back in self-defense. Following a brief gunbattle, the Maoists fled the site. During the search of the area, a huge cache of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), landmines, electric wires, and other explosives were seized from the spot. Some batteries, Maoist uniforms and literature, medicines, and other items were also recovered from the camp. Read less...

A security personnel who suffered injuries in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh succumbed after 20 days of treatment at a private hospital in Raipur District on January 17, reports The Times of India. Earlier reported by South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) that the security personnel from District Reserve Guards (DRG), head constable, Arvind Ekka, sustained severe leg injuries in a pressure IED blast in Kavadgaon village in the Gangalur region of Bijapur District on December 29, 2023. While he underwent surgeries and regular monitoring by doctors, Ekka succumbed to his injuries. Read less...

Yellandu Police arrested seven Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) sympathisers, identified as Jedipeti Ramesh of Yellandu, Sunnam Kana, Sunnam Ganga, and Madakam Laccha of Malkangiri District, Odisha, B Narasimha of Karepally, Muhammad Yakub Pasha alias Bambula Pasha of Mahabubabad town, and Alakunta Venkanna Mudigonda in Khammam District, and seized a huge cache of explosive material from them in Bhadradri Kothagudem District of Telangana on January 19, reports Telangana Today. Circle Inspector (CI), P Karunakar, informed that the accused were supplying explosive material to Naxalites [Left Wing Extremists, LWEs]. Police recovered 400 gelatin sticks, 1000 detonators, three cordex wire bundles, and a five-metre safety fuse. A case was registered against them at Yellandu Police Station. Read less...

Three Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres, including two women cadres, were killed in a gun battle with Security Forces (SFs) during a search operation in the hills near Belam Gutta village under Basaguda Police Station limits in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh on January 20, reports The Pioneer. A team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), an elite unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), were carrying out an operation in Balam Nedra and Belam Gutta villages, Bijapur Superintendent of Police (SP) Anjaneya Vaishnav said, adding that they had inputs about the presence of senior Maoists, including ‘divisional committee member (DCM)’ Vinod Karma, Awapalli Local Organising Squad (LOS) Raju Punem, ‘area committee member (ACM)’ Vishwanath, Guddu Telam, and 20–25 Naxalites [Left Wing Extremists, LWEs] of Basaguda and Madded Area Committees of the CPI-Maoist. After the encounter, the bodies of three Maoists, including two women (whose identities are yet to be ascertained), were recovered from the spot, and two muzzle-loading guns, a pistol, five live cartridges, 15 gelatins, five detonators, wires, explosive materials, Maoist uniforms, and literature were also recovered from the site. Read less...

The Union Home Minister (UHM) Amit Shah, on January 21, asserted that the country will be free from the menace of Naxalism [Left Wing Extremism, LWE] in the next three years and directed to expedite development activities in remote areas affected by the ultras, reports news18.com. Reviewing the Naxal situation in Chhattisgarh, Shah also directed the Security Forces (SFs) to financially choke the ultras. He also directed the officials to prepare a blueprint to end Naxalism. Supporters of Naxalism have to be identified and completely choked financially, Shah added. The UHM said all kinds of help will be ensured to the SFs and agencies operating in Chhattisgarh. The SFs have to bring the plan to the ground and end Naxalism completely. He also stressed the need for expediting development in Naxal-affected areas. All welfare schemes of the central and state governments have to be implemented in these areas with renewed vigour. According to Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) estimates, incidents of Naxal violence have gone down by 52 per cent in the past 10 years, while deaths in these incidents declined by 70 per cent. The number of affected districts has come down from 96 to 45, and the number of LWE-hit Police Stations has declined from 495 to 176, the estimates showed. Last month, the UHM said that 199 new security force camps have been established in LWE-affected areas since 2019. “In the last 10 years of the Narendra Modi government, we have been able to win the battle in the hotspots of Jammu and Kashmir, Left Wing Extremism and insurgency in the northeast, and the security forces have been able to establish their domination in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. Read less...

Santosh Vasant Shelar alias Vishwa alias Painter (33), a Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) ‘deputy commander’, who disappeared from Pune in 2010, has surrendered to the Pune Police in the Pune District of Maharashtra, reports marathi.hindustantimes.com on January 22. Shelar has been ill for the past few days and has come to Pune. Shelar is a native of Kasewadi, in Bhawani Peth, and has been missing since 2010. His family had filed a missing complaint at the Khadak Police Station. The anti-Naxal operation (ANO) team of Rajnandgaon District in Chhattisgarh announced the list of wanted Maoists in the Tanda Area Committee in 2019. In this list, the name Shelar was in the fourth position. The ANO team said that he was the ‘deputy commander’ of the area committee. Shelar was also alleged to be associated with the Pune-based cultural outfit Kabir Kala Manch (KKM), which according to the Police is a “Maoist front organisation.” He was said to have a 303 rifle. Currently, he has been admitted to Sassoon Hospital and is being monitored by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). Read less...

A Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) couple, whose identities are yet to be ascertained, surrendered as part of the Maoist eradication campaign being run in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh on January 23, reports zeenews.india.com. The woman Maoist was a ‘section commander’ of Platoon No. 13B of the Mahila Bhairamgarh Area Committee, while her husband was a member of Chetna Natya Mandli (CNM), a cultural wing of Maoists, of the Palnar Revolutionary People’s Committee (RPC). Read less...

An encounter between Security Forces (SFs) and Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres took place in the Nalikumpa Forest area in Boudh District of Odisha on January 23, reports odishatv.in. The exchange of fire lasted for around an hour, forcing more than 30 Maoists to flee from the spot. A senior Police officer said the ultras, about 25 to 30 in numbers belonging to the KKBN (Kalahandi-Kandhamal-Boudh-Nayagarh) division of the CPI-Maoist, fled away from the spot, leaving behind their few camp articles and one sophisticated weapon. It is suspected that a few Maoists have sustained injuries, he added. A Maoist camp was destroyed by the SFs after the gunfight, and the SFs also seized a huge cache of arms and explosives, including land mines, from the camp. Read less...

Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) posters were found all over the Jamboni area in the Jhargram District of West Bengal on January 24, reports tv9bangla.com. The poster read 'Kishenji Amar Rahe'. Incidentally, Mallojula Koteshwar Rao alias Kishenji, was killed in an encounter in Burishole area in West Midnapore District on November 24, 2011. Along with this the Maoist poster has called for a shutdown in three districts of Jhargram, Purulia, and Bankura, on January 25. The poster mentions that the Maoists are with the people. The poster also mentions several issues, including the return of tribal girls to hostels and job demands of ex-Maoists. Read less...

On January 25, a woman cadre of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) was injured in an encounter with the Security Forces (SFs) in a forest near Sikaser Dam under Mainpur Police Station limits in Gariabandh District of Chhattisgarh, reports latestly.com. The encounter took place when a District Force (DF) team was on an anti-Naxal [Left Wing Extremism, LWE] operation after receiving inputs about the movement of ultras, Gariabandh Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Tukaram Kamble said, adding that on sensing the presence of Police at the site, the Naxalites opened fire and SFs retaliated. "The Naxalites fled into the core forest later. After the gunfight, a woman Naxalite was found injured at the site. She has been shifted to Gariabandh for treatment," he said. She is yet to be identified, but a preliminary probe suggests she is from Silger village in Sukma District and part of "company number 10" of the outlawed movement, the SP informed. Read less...

On January 25, three Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) planted by cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) to target security personnel were found in a forest area in West Singhbhum District of Jharkhand, reports latestly.com. One of the IEDs was found in a forest near Tumbahaka village under Tonto Police Station, while the other two were detected in the Goilkera Police Station area, the Police said, adding that the IEDs, weighing 10 kilogrammes, six kilogrammes, and five kilogrammes, were destroyed on the spot by the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS). Read less...

Chedi Bhuiyan, an active cadre of the Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC), a splinter group of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), surrenders to the Police in Gaya District of Bihar on January 26, reports bhaskar.com. Bhuinya surrendered with his weapons under pressure from the District Police. He has been active in the organization for the past 7 years. Cases of Naxalite [Left Wing Extremist, LWE] incidents have been registered against him in the Naxalite-affected districts of Gaya, Aurangabad, and Jharkhand. He said he had chosen the wrong path after being misled. Read less...

Three cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), including two women cadres, identified as Dudhi Sukdi (53), Dudhi Deve (38) and Madvi Hadma (26), surrendered in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh on January 27, reports The Times of India. Of the three arrestees, Deve was active as the head of Tumalpad Krantikari Mahila Adivasi Sangthan and was carrying a cash reward of INR 100,000 on her head, the police said, adding that others worked as members of a frontal organization. She was leading the organisation by holding meetings in villages and propagating Maoist ideology. Citing disappointment and partiality by senior ‘commanders’, the three cadres surrendered before the Central Reserve Police Force's (CRPF) 50th battalion and district police. They said that they wanted to live a mainstream life. Read less...

Security Forces (SFs) had averted a major tragedy by recovering two Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) planted by the cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) while acting on a tip-off in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh on January 30, reports The Telegraph. The Police said the bombs — one weighing 5 kilograms and another 3 kilograms — had been planted on dirt tracks in Dantewada District. Read less...

Security Forces (SFs) returning from a gunfight with Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres on January 30 discovered a 130-metre-long tunnel used as an underground hideout in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh, reports ptcnews.tv. Dantewada Superintendent of Police (SP) Gaurav Rai said the 10-foot-deep tunnel was discovered by a jawan from the District Reserve Guard (DRG), which is made up of local tribal youth. "The hideout was camouflaged, and no one noticed it until one of our District Reserve Guards jawans discovered it. This is probably the biggest underground hideout we've discovered in the region so far," Rai said. "We believe it served as a Maoist hideout during the movement of force. However, it can be used for other purposes, such as ambush trapping the police force," the SP stated. Read less...

Three Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed in a gunfight with the cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) along the Sukma-Bijapur border in Chhattisgarh on January 30, when the commandos were working to establish a Forward Operating Base (FOB), reports The Telegraph. At least 15 CRPF personnel suffered injuries in the gun battle that began around 1pm, sources said. An FOB is a remote camp meant to facilitate security forces operating in core Maoist areas. Read less...

Two Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres were killed in the encounter in which three Security Forces (SFs) were killed in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh on January 30, the Maoists acknowledged in a letter released on February 3, reports ntnews.com. A letter was released in the name of Samata of the ‘South Sub-Zonal Bureau’ of the CPI-Maoist that two Maoists were killed in the same incident. The letter stated that one of the two deceased was a female Maoist. The letter states that the deceased woman Maoist's name is Mandavi Manga alias Raje and she worked as a ‘section commander’ of ‘Company-2’ in the Maoist party. Also, the letter mentions that another of the dead is Mandavi Bojja, who is a party member of Battalion-1. Read less...

Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres killed a villager, identified as Chudu Sirka (40), branding him a ‘police informer’ at Buru Raika village in West Singhbhum District of Jharkhand on January 31, reports The Times of India. A preliminary investigation has revealed that Sirka was a former member of a Maoist squad led by Motilal Soren alias Sandip Da, and was instrumental in getting the latter arrested, said the officials, requesting anonymity. Soren carried a reward of INR 2.5 million on his head. He was the ‘area commander’ of the Maoist group and was arrested by West Singhbhum Police in Jetia on November 1, 2017. Maoists suspected Sirka of being instrumental in alerting the Police about Soren. Read less...

Suspected Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) B.G. Krishnamurthy, who once led the team of Naxals [Left Wing Extremists, LWEs] in Karnataka, was presented before the Principal District and Session Judge in Shivamogga District of Karnataka on January 31, reports The Hindu. Shivamogga Police brought him from Kerala for a hearing in cases filed against him at Agumbe Police Station in Thirthahalli taluk. The charges were framed in connection with a blast at the forest gate in Agumbe and a robbery at Bidaragodu in Thirthahalli taluk. He would be presented in court again on February 1 in connection with setting ablaze a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus at Agumbe in July 2007. Krishnamurthy faces charges under various sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), the Arms Act, and the Explosive Substances Act. Krishnamurthy, a native of Sringeri in Chikkamagaluru district, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on the border of Karnataka and Kerala in November 2023. As many as five cases had been booked against him in Shivamogga district. During previous hearings, he was produced in court from Thrissur jail in Kerala through video conferencing. Read less...

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a supplementary charge sheet against a cadre of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) for the abduction and murder of a person in Bihar in 2018, reports The Week on January 31. The charge sheet has been filed against Gora Yadav alias Anil Yadav of Aurangabad in Bihar under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Arms Act, and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in the abduction and murder of Naresh Singh Bhokta, according to an official release. Yadav, arrested by the NIA on August 4, 2023, was allegedly directly involved in the killing. He was found to be a dreaded Maoist cadre, with 18 cases registered against him in various Police Stations in Aurangabad and Gaya districts of Bihar. Bhokta was abducted by Maoists at the direction of their top leadership. He was taken to a so-called ‘jan adalat’ in the Aurangabad area, where a kangaroo court led by one Naval Bhuiya, ‘sub-zonal commander’, CPI-Maoist, ordered his killing, the release said, adding that Bhokta was murdered on the night of November 2, 2018 near village Badhai Bigha. The NIA, in its original charge sheet filed on February 25, 2023, had named one accused. This was followed by the filing of charges against three more persons in June 2023. Four more accused were named in yet another supplementary charge sheet filed in September 2023, the release added. Read less...