Daijiworld Media Network - Chaibasa
Chaibasa, Sep 7: In a major blow to Maoist activities in Jharkhand, a top Maoist commander carrying a bounty of Rs 10 lakh was killed in an encounter with security forces in the Saranda forest under Goilkera police station, West Singhbhum district, officials confirmed on Sunday.
The slain insurgent, identified as Amit Hasda alias Aaptan, was neutralised during a joint anti-Maoist operation. According to Superintendent of Police Paras Rana, the operation led to the recovery of an SLR rifle, explosives, and other arms and ammunition from the site.
Following the gunfight, security forces launched a combing operation across the dense forest region to uncover further Maoist hideouts and eliminate any remaining insurgents.
This latest encounter comes amid heightened tension in the state following a deadly Maoist ambush just days earlier in Palamu district, where two police personnel were killed and another critically injured in a fierce gun battle.
The September 3 incident occurred in the Kedal forest under Manatu police station. Security forces had launched a search mission based on intelligence that Shashikant Ganjhu, the TSPC’s (Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee) zonal commander — also carrying a Rs 10 lakh bounty — might return to his native village during the Karma festival.
As forces moved in around 1:00 a.m., Ganjhu and his cadre allegedly opened indiscriminate fire, triggering a heavy exchange of gunfire. Three personnel sustained injuries and were rushed to Medinirai Medical College and Hospital in Daltonganj, where two of them — Santan Kumar and Sunil Ram — succumbed to their injuries. One of the deceased was reportedly the bodyguard of the Palamu Additional Superintendent of Police.
Authorities have since ramped up operations across Maoist-affected zones, with targeted efforts to track down Ganjhu and his associates.
Officials have confirmed that search and combing operations are ongoing in both West Singhbhum and Palamu districts as part of a broader crackdown on the resurgence of Maoist violence in the state.