Ganesh Uike, a top Maoist commander was neutralised on Thursday in an encounter with security forces in Odisha. Uike, who carried a bounty of Rs 1.1 crore on his head, was among the most wanted Maoist leaders in the state.
He was among the six red rebels killed in gunfights with security forces in Kandhamal district.
Taking to X, union home minister Amit Shah called it a "major breakthrough", while chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi described it as a "remarkable success" to build a Maoist-free India.
Who was Ganesh Uike?
-Ganesh Uike carried a staggering reward of Rs 1.1 crore. He was among the few remaining members of the Maoist Central Committee, the group’s top decision-making body.
-Over more than four decades, the 69-year-old played a key role in the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC), serving as the main link between the central leadership and local units across the so-called Red Corridor.
-CPI(Maoist) central committee member Uike was heading the banned outfit in Odisha since December 2024, said Sanjeeb Panda, an ADG rank officer in-charge of anti-Naxal operations in the state. He was previously heading the Karnataka-Kerala-Tamil Nadu south regional bureau.
-Hailing from Pullemla village in Telangana’s Nalgonda district, Ganesh -- also known as Rupa, Rajesh Tiwari, Chamu, Chamru and Somudu -- abandoned his BSc studies and went underground in 1982 amid violent campus unrest, according to a report by Times of India.
-He subsequently became an organiser and commander in West Bastar, a forested region of southern Chhattisgarh, where he served as secretary and divisional committee in-charge and oversaw the south sub-zonal bureau.
-Active along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra corridor for nearly a decade, Uike was involved in armed squad operations, cadre recruitment, and forest-based movements. Officials said his expertise in forest operations failed in the Kandhamal-Ganjam border area, leading to his neutralisation.
-Odisha director general of police (DGP) Y B Khurania said Uike’s death has broken the backbone of Maoist activities in Odisha. "The death of Uike is a body blow to the Maoists in the state because the outfit does not have any senior leader. Modem Balakrishna, who for some time looked after Odisha affairs for the outfit, was killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Gariyaband district on September 11," a senior officer told PTI.
Ganesh Uike killed in encounter
Uike was neutralised in Kandhamal district during the security forces’ operation that began on Wednesday night and concluded on Thursday morning. He carried a long history of orchestrating attacks against security personnel and civilians.
His death has significantly hollowed out the group’s leadership, leaving roughly half a dozen senior figures active across the country, according to anti-Naxal intelligence sources in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh cited in a Times of India report.
Terming the elimination as a “significant milestone”, union home minister Amit Shah reiterated the government’s commitment to eliminate Naxalism by March 31, 2026. “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 Naxalism,” the home minister wrote on X.
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