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Mint
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Mint
Seven Maoists, including two top leaders killed during first week of June in major operation in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur
During the first fortnight of June 2025, Security forces launched a major operation against Maoist insurgents in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, leading to the deaths of seven Maoists, including two high-ranking leaders of the CPI (Maoist) after a series of fierce encounters in the National Park area, police said on Saturday. Gautam alias Sudhakar, a Central Committee member of the CPI (Maoist), and Bhaskar Rao, a State Committee member of the CPI (Maoist) were two top Maoist leaders among those killed. The bodies of those were recovered following fire exchanges between security personnel and Maoist cadres, the official release said. Another recovered body has been identified as Mahesh Kodiyam, a resident of Irpagutta village under the jurisdiction of Farsegarh Police Station in Bijapur District. During the inquest proceedings, it was confirmed that Mahesh Kodiyam was an active member of the banned CPI (Maoist) organisation, operating in the National Park Area division, and had established links with the proscribed group, the statement mentioned. It came to be known that Mahesh Kodiyam used to work as cook assistant at the primary school in Irpagutta village. The village school management committee had designated him, and he was being paid remuneration for this role until March 2025, it said. According to the release, authorities are currently investigating the circumstances under which Mahesh Kodiyam came into contact with senior Maoist leaders, including Central Committee member Gautam and State Committee member Bhaskar. A comprehensive, unbiased, and professional inquiry is underway, covering all facets of the case. The police have once again appealed to all individuals who are directly or indirectly linked to the banned CPI (Maoist) organisation to immediately cut all ties. They emphasised that continued involvement with this extremist group endangers public safety, disrupts regional peace, and jeopardizes the lives and futures of those associated with it.
Hans India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
3 senior Maoists killed in ASR district encounter
Paderu (ASR district): IN another blow to the CPI (Maoist), three top Maoist leaders were killed by security forces in an intense gun battle in the dense forests near Kondamodalu, close to Kintukuru village in Devipatnam mandal of the Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district. The operation marks one of the most significant anti-Maoist strikes in the Andhra–Odisha Border (AOB) region in recent years. The encounter, which took place early Tuesday, resulted in the deaths of three high-ranking Maoists. Gajarla Ravi alias Uday, a Central Committee member; Ravi Venka Chaitanya alias Aruna, a Special Zonal Committee member and wife of recently deceased top Maoist leader Pratapareddy Ramachandra Reddy (also known as Chalapathi Rao); and Anju, an Area Committee Member (ACM) in the AOB Special Zonal Committee. Security forces, acting on credible intelligence, launched a swift operation in the Kondamodalu forest area after reports indicated the presence of a group of 12–16 armed Maoists. The gun battle lasted for approximately 25 minutes, during which the three Maoists were killed. The remaining cadres fled deep into the forest, prompting a massive combing operation in the surrounding areas. Three AK-47 assault rifles and other material were recovered from the encounter site. Police officials confirmed that reinforcement units from Devipatnam police station were quickly dispatched to secure the area and support the operation. Gajarla Ravi alias Uday, a veteran Maoist operative since the 1980s, was previously involved in peace talks with the Andhra Pradesh government and had a Rs 25 lakh bounty on his head. Aruna, who carried a Rs 20 lakh reward, was accused in the high-profile 2018 assassination of then MLA Kidari Sarveswara Rao and former MLA Siveri Soma near Dumbriguda. She hailed from Karakavani Palem in Pendurthi mandal, Visakhapatnam district. Police said that the bodies of the deceased Maoists were shifted to Rampachodavaram Area Hospital for post-mortem examination. A senior police official hailed the operation as a significant success in the fight against Maoist extremism in the region. The elimination of key leadership figures is expected to severely impact the strategic and operational capacities of Maoist units in the AOB zone, which has been a long-standing stronghold. Combing operations are ongoing to trace the fleeing Maoists, and police have appealed to local villagers to cooperate and share any suspicious movements or information.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Death of Uday, Aruna deepens leadership crisis among Maoists in AOB region
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, the Greyhounds personnel, during a combing operation in the area near Akooru in Maredumilli forest of Alluri Sitharama Raju district, spotted a group of around 16 armed members of the banned CPI (Maoist). What followed was a fierce gun battle for about an hour, in which three Maoists were killed. Among the deceased were Gajarla Ravi alias Uday, a Central Committee member and the secretary of the Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC), and Ravi Venka Chaitanya alias Aruna, a zonal committee member and secretary of the East Division, which controls the AOB region. The police recovered three AK 47s. The death of Uday and Aruna is certainly a big blow to the Maoists, as the security forces presume it to be the endgame of the Left Wing extremists in the AOB region. After the death of two top Maoist leaders Kudumula Ravi and Bakuri Venkataramana alias Ganesh, there was a leadership void in this region. Both were considered fierce tribal leaders. While Kudumula died of illness in 2016, Bakkuri was among the 30 Maoists killed in the Ramaguda exchange of fire in 2016. It was after their death that Uday, Aruna and Chalapathi took charge of the AOB region. There was a rumour that Uday was also killed in the Ramaguda encounter, but he survived and led the Maoists in the AOBSZC. Hailing from Velishala in Telangana, Gajarla Ravi (58) alias Ganesh alias Anand alias Uday, joined the movement in 1990. He had completed his Intermediate and ITI and was an active member of RSU (Radical Student Union). After going underground, he was posted to AOB region to revive the movement. Trained by Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju, who was killed in May this year and Akkiraju Haragopal alias RK, who died of illness in 2021, Uday was supposed to be military strategist and also a leader who could recruit more tribal people. Both his brothers—Gajarla Saraiah and Gajarla Ashok— were associated with the movement. Saraiah, a member of the Central Military Commission and Central Committee, was shot dead in Kanthalapally forest in Warangal in April 2008 while Ashok surrendered in 2015. Considered a hardcore ideologist, Uday was said to be the trusted man of the senior leadership. After a series of major encounters such as in Ramaguda in 2016 and Teegalametta in 2021, in which many leaders were killed, a string of surrenders and arrests of mid-level leaders that followed, the movement had died down by 2022. Uday and Aruna, who were heading the operations, had moved to safer havens in Chhattisgarh. It was only in May 2024, after facing the heat in Chhattisgarh and with the idea of reviving the movement in the AOB, Aruna, Uday and Kakuri Pandana alias Jagan moved in with about 30 cadres. Considered an educated and fierce fighter, Aruna was the wife of former Central Committee member Chalapathi, who was killed earlier this year. She hailed from Pendurthi area of Visakhapatnam. Apart from her involvement in many cases, it is said that she had led the squad that killed former Araku MLA Kidari Sarveswar Rao and former MLA Siveri Soma, in September 2018, in Dumbriguda area of now ASR district. On May 7, Pandana, the last of the tribal leaders from the AOB, was killed in an encounter. With the deaths of Uday and Aruna, there is hardly anyone to lead the movement, say security personnel associated with anti-Maoist operations.
Hans India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
CPM warns of ‘Emergency-like danger' to nation under Modi
VIJAYAWADA: CPM politburo member BV Raghavulu on Tuesday asserted that democracy and secularism in India face a threat greater than the Emergency period under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rule, urging a united front to combat it. Speaking at a press conference at MB Vignana Kendram here, alongside politburo member U Vasuki and party State secretariat member Y Venkateswara Rao, Raghavulu outlined decisions made at a recent Central Committee meeting. He stated the party's resolve to inform the public about the true facts of the recent Pulwama terrorist attack and to explain the 'danger of Emergency-like conditions.' Raghavulu highlighted the need for public awareness regarding the recent terror attack in Pahalgam. He noted that while terrorists killed innocent civilians and India retaliated by destroying terrorist bases in Pakistan, President Donald Trump claimed he brokered a ceasefire between the two nations. The CPM demanded a special parliamentary session to reveal the facts, a request Raghavulu said the government refused. Raghavulu strongly criticised the Central government for allegedly aligning with American foreign policy and acting subserviently to Trump. He pointed out that the Indian government has not condemned the recent Israeli attack on Iran, despite India's friendly economic ties with Iran. He warned that a potential war would increase crude oil prices, already up by 10 per cent, harming India's economy. He stressed the need for global pressure on Israel to halt the conflict. Raghavulu accused the BJP-led Central government of supporting Israel and urged it to change its stance. He criticised the Indian government for attempting to equate the aggressors with the victims, suggesting its actions appear to cater to American interests and Trump's preferences. 'While claiming to be a 'Vishwaguru', it is acting as Trump's puppet,' he remarked. Raghavulu concluded by highlighting the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Emergency declaration on June 25, emphasising the need to inform the public about its dangers. He recalled the CPM's active role in fighting against the Emergency and how opposition parties united. He stated that just asthe nation was collectively saved from the Emergency then, today there is a need to protect secularism, democracy, and federalism from the 'danger of neo-fascist forces.'
India Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Naxals strangle three villagers to death in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur
Three villagers were allegedly killed by Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Tuesday evening. The victims were strangled with attack appears to be an attempt by Naxalites to spread fear among locals, officials said. Police have launched an investigation to verify the details and confirm the identities of those attack comes even as security forces make significant gains in dismantling the Maoist movement, especially in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region, once the epicentre of Left-Wing 'The Maoist movement is in its final days. Their leadership is disjointed and demoralised. Only 300 armed cadres remain in the Dandakaranya zone who must surrender or prepare for a decisive war,' said Bastar Inspector General of Police Sundarraj to Sundarraj, the top Maoist decision-making body, the Central Committee, has not met in years, forcing the remaining four Politburo members to take charge, most of whom are old, in hiding, or DGP and Naxal expert RK Vij added, 'The ideological vacuum is glaring. Maoist leadership has shifted from revolutionary rhetoric to criminality.'Earlier this month, a major breakthrough came when security forces killed Central Committee member Sudhakar, who carried a Rs 40 lakh reward on his head, during an encounter in Bijapur's National Park area. His death followed the neutralisation of CPI (Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshav Rao, also known as Basavaraju, in the dense Abujhmad a veteran of the Maoist movement since the late 1970s, had a Rs 1.5 crore bounty and was wanted for several deadly attacks across multiple to his death, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had called the operation "a landmark achievement in the battle to eliminate Naxalism.' He said, 'It was the first time in three decades of Bharat's battle against Naxalism that a general secretary-ranked leader has been neutralised by our forces.'The government's aggressive anti-Naxal push has led to 253 encounters across the Bastar Range between 2023 and June 9, 2025, with 429 Maoists killed — including 192 this year alone. A total of 1,812 Maoists have surrendered or been arrested, and 916 IEDs and 606 weapons have been recovered.'The fight isn't over until the ideology is rejected in every corner. But this is the closest we've come to ending the insurgency,' Sundarraj InMust Watch
