In Big Blow To Insurgency, 2 Top Maoist Leaders Killed In Encounter On Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra Border

Security forces have achieved a significant breakthrough in the fight against Left-Wing Extremism with the killing of two top Maoist leaders in an encounter in the Abhujmad forests on the Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra border.

They have been identified as Raju Dada alias Katta Ramachandra Reddy and Kosa Dada alias Kadari Satyanarayana Reddy, both Central Committee Members of the CPI (Maoist) and carrying rewards of Rs 40 lakh each, announced by the Chhattisgarh government.

According to Narayanpur Superintendent of Police Robinson, the encounter began on the morning of September 22, following intelligence inputs about the Maoist movement in the dense Abhujmad region. Intermittent firing continued through the day before the bodies of the two senior cadres were recovered.

From the site, forces seized one AK-47 rifle, one INSAS rifle, one BGL launcher, a cache of explosives, Maoist literature, and other materials of daily use.

Both were active in the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee for over three decades and considered masterminds behind several major attacks that claimed the lives of security personnel and civilians.

IGP Bastar Range Sundarraj P described the operation as a "major setback to the Maoist organisation." "Despite the challenging terrain and adverse weather, our forces remain resolute in their mission. This encounter proves that decisive operations are steadily dismantling the Maoist leadership," he said.

Appealing to the remaining Maoist cadres, Sundarraj urged them to "accept the reality that the Maoist movement is nearing its end" and to surrender under the government's rehabilitation policy.

The latest encounter comes just months after one of the bloodiest counter-insurgency strikes in Bastar, in May, when security forces eliminated several Maoists, including top politburo leader Basava Raju (Rs 1.5 crore bounty). That strike followed the Karregutta operation, in which 31 Maoists were killed after a 24-day pursuit across the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border.

In the past year, several senior cadres have been neutralised, including Jayaram alias Chalapathi (Rs 1 crore bounty), Renuka (Rs 45 lakh), Sudhakar alias Narasimhalam (Rs 1 crore), Garlala Ravi (Rs 40 lakh), and Niti alias Nirmala (Rs 25 lakh), among others across Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, and Maharashtra.

Officials say the killing of Raju Dada and Kosa Dada further weakens the Maoist chain of command in the Dandakaranya region, marking another decisive step in the ongoing counter-insurgency push.