Bhubaneswar: The encounter of six Maoists within 24 hours has come as a major blow for the banned outfit in Odisha.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah called the operation a turning point. “A significant milestone towards Naxal-free Bharat. We are resolved to eliminate Naxalism before the 31st of March 2026,” his office said in a post.
The encounters came a day after 22 insurgents surrendered in neighbouring Malkangiri district, signalling mounting pressure on the dwindling Maoist network. While two Maoist operatives, carrying Rs 23.65 lakh bounty, were killed in an exchange of fire with the security forces in Gumma forest area under Belghar police limits in the district on Wednesday, the Thursday’s operation dealt a severe blow to Maoist insurgency, effectively eliminating the movement’s top leadership in the state.
Bullets caught up with Maoist commander Paka Hanumanthu, better known as Ganesh Uike, who evaded capture for over four decades, before dawn in Kandhamal district on Thursday. He along with three others were killed in an exchange of fire with security forces in Rambha forest range along the Kandhamal–Ganjam border under Chakapada police limits.
The 69-year-old was a high-ranking central committee member of the CPI (Maoist) and was heading its Odisha operations. He was carrying a collective bounty of Rs 1.1 crore reward on his head.
According to police sources, Uike, a native of Telangana’s Nalgonda district, often disguised himself as a swamiji and frequently changed aliases – Rupa, Rajesh Tiwari, Chamu, Chamru and Somudu – to slip through security dragnets. Described by authorities as a battle-hardened strategist, he played a key role in the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC), acting as the primary liaison between the central leadership and grassroots units across the Odisha-Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra Red corridor.
He was among the few remaining members of the Maoist Central Committee, the group’s top decision-making body. He was involved in recruitment, cadre movement, and armed operations. He could trek long distances tirelessly and occasionally entered urban areas incognito, often posing as a spiritual figure. He typically traveled with armed protection, including guards with .303 rifles, while his personal AK-47 and gear (such as laptops and communication devices) were handled by aides.
The top Maoist commander was also linked to several major Maoist operations including the deadly May 2013 Jhiram Ghati ambush in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, where a convoy of Congress leaders was targetted, killing at least 27 people and injuring dozens more.
Uike pursued studies in Nalgonda but dropped out of BSc and went underground in 1982 amid violent campus unrest. He rose to prominence as a key figure in the banned outfit, serving in various capacities in Chhattisgarh’s West Bastar region before taking charge of Odisha operations in October 2025, following the death of the previous in-charge, Modem Balakrishna, in Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband district the previous month, according to a report by Times of India.
He was promoted to the central committee in 2020 and had worked across Chhattisgarh up to November 2024.
In Odisha, he concentrated efforts along the Kalahandi-Rayagada-Kandhamal-Boudh-Nayagarh corridor, leveraging the challenging hilly and forested terrain. Earlier this year, around February, he held a meeting in the Kotagarh region of Kandhamal, where he restructured the Niyamgiri squad into Ghumusar Area Committee, aiming to resuscitate Maoist activities in areas previously controlled by Sabyasachi Panda, who was arrested in 2014, the report added.
Uike showed no signs of surrender and recently publicly criticised central committee colleague Chandranna for surrendering to Telangana police and insisted the movement would continue despite setbacks. “Uike’s death has broken the backbone of Maoist activities in Odisha,” DGP Y B Khurania told reporters.
