Rs 1.1 crore on his head: Top Maoist Ganesh Uike killed in Odisha encounter

Uike was among four red rebels killed in an encounter with the security forces in Kandhamal

• Top Maoist leader Ganesh Uike killed in Odisha gun-battle with security forces
• Uike carried a Rs 1.1 crore bounty and led CPI(Maoist) in Odisha
• Three other Maoists, including two women, also killed; identities pending

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Top Maoist leader Ganesh Uike was among four red rebels killed in a gun-battle with security forces in Odisha's Kandhamal district on Thursday, police said.

CPI(Maoist) central committee member Uike, who carried a bounty of Rs 1.1 crore on his head, was the chief of the banned outfit in Odisha, a senior officer heading anti-Naxal operations in the state said.

The gun-battle took place in a forest in Chakapad police station area, he said.

"Four Maoists were killed in the gunfight. One of them was identified as 69-year-old Ganesh Uike, who is also known by his aliases Pakka Hanumantu, Rajesh Tiwari, Chamru and Rupa. He was a native of Pullemala village under Chendur mandal in Telangana's Nalgonda district," he said.

A significant milestone towards Naxal-free Bharat.

In a major operation in Kandhmal, Odisha, 6 Naxalites, including Central Committee Member Ganesh Uike, have been neutralized so far. With this major breakthrough, Odisha stands at the threshold of becoming completely free from… — गृहमंत्री कार्यालय, HMO India (@HMOIndia) December 25, 2025

The identity of the other three Naxals, including two women, was yet to be ascertained, the officer said.

Separately, police confirmed that three Maoists, including a woman cadre, were killed in an exchange of fire with security forces in the Gumma forest area under Belghar police station limits on Wednesday night, as per a PTI news agency report.

Two of those killed were identified as Bari alias Rakesh, an area committee member of CPI (Maoist), and Amrit, a dalam member, both hailing from Chhattisgarh and carrying a combined bounty of Rs 23.65 lakh. The body of another woman Maoist was recovered near the encounter site during a search operation on Thursday morning, though her identity is yet to be established, the report stated.

With Uikey’s death, Devuji, an ageing ideological veteran and once a key figure in the military wing, is now believed to be the only top-tier leader left, symbolising the final embers of an insurgency that has steadily lost ground, manpower and public support, according to News18.

Who is Ganesh Uikey?

Uike was one of the few remaining members of the Maoist Central Committee, the group's apex decision-making body.

For more than 40 years, Uike (69) played a pivotal role in the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC). He was also the primary link between the central leadership and local units across what has been called the Red Corridor.

He was the "brain" behind the movement's expansion in the Eastern Ghats.

Uike was also one of the only three central committee members left (Ganesh Uikey, Odisha/Mallaraji Reddy, alias Sangram, Chhattisgarh/Analda, alias Toofan, Jharkhand).

This operation brings the Indian government closer to its stated goal of making the country Maoist-free by March 2026.