Lucknow: Notorious naxalite Brijesh Ganjhu alias Gopal Singh Bhokta, who carried a reward of Rs 30 lakh on his head, was killed in an encounter with Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in Varanasi on Sunday morning.
Ganjhu, a resident of Chatra in Jharkhand, was a commander of the banned Tritiya Prastuti Committee, a breakaway faction of the CPI (Maoist). He, along with his group, operated in the forests of Jharkhand and was wanted for the deaths of several security personnel. There were 39 cases pending against him.
His death was confirmed by Amitabh Yash, ADG (Law and Order) to ANI.
“Today, on September 20, at 4 am, acting on confidential information, the UP ATS attempted to intercept a motorcyclist in the Ramnagar police station area of Banaras. Instead of stopping, the motorcyclist opened fire on the ATS team. He was killed in retaliatory fire,” Yash said.
“He was a commander of the banned Naxal organisation ‘Tritiya Prastuti Committee’. A reward of Rs 5 lakh from the NIA and Rs 25 lakh from the Jharkhand government had been announced for him,” he said.
“Information indicates that the accused was wanted for the murders of several police personnel. Further details are being obtained from the concerned police authorities and organisations,” the ADG said.
Ganjhu was the chief of the Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC) and was wanted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with a terror-funding case, the police said.
The encounter took place in the early hours of Sunday when Ganjhu, along with an associate, was travelling on a motorcycle from Tengra Mor towards Mughalsarai via Ramnagar in Varanasi, Vipin Rai, DSP, UP ATS, said.
“Acting on an informant’s tip-off, police attempted to intercept and arrest him. Instead of stopping, he jumped off the vehicle and opened fire on the police personnel. In the ensuing crossfire, he was shot,” Rai said.
The incident took place in the Lanka Maidan area under Ramnagar police station limits, the police said.
Bullets fired by Ganjhu allegedly hit the bulletproof jackets of Rai and head constable Nitendra Krishna. Both officers remained safe, officials added.
Ganjhu was immediately rushed to a hospital after sustaining injuries, where doctors declared him dead, the DSP said.
“The UP team had been searching for this Naxalite — a member of a banned organisation — for quite some time. Upon receiving information from an informant about his arrival during the night, the ATS laid a trap and attempted to apprehend Brijesh Ganjhu. However, he tried to flee and opened fire on the police team. He was wounded in the ensuing retaliatory action and was taken to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead,” Rai said.
The death was also confirmed by the Jharkhand Police. “We have received information from the IG (STF) that Brijesh Ganjhu, alias Gopal Singh, was neutralised in an encounter in Varanasi this morning,” Narendra Singh, IG (Operations) and Jharkhand Police spokesperson, said.
