Top Naxal Leader With Rs 40 Lakh Bounty Killed In Chhattisgarh Encounter

A major blow was dealt to the Naxal movement on Thursday (5 June) with the killing of senior Maoist leader Sudhakar in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, India Today reported. 

Sudhakar, a Central Committee member of the banned CPI (Maoist), was one of the most wanted Naxals and carried a cash reward of Rs 40 lakh on his head.

The encounter took place in the forested National Park area, following intelligence inputs that indicated the presence of top Maoist operatives. 

Acting on the tip-off, a joint team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Special Task Force (STF) launched a coordinated operation.

A gunfight broke out in the early hours of the morning, during which Sudhakar was gunned down.

Sudhakar's elimination comes days after the killing of Nambala Keshav Rao, also known as Basavaraju, the general secretary of CPI (Maoist). 

Rao, a veteran of the Naxalite movement since the 1970s and regarded as one of its key strategists, was killed in a major operation in May in the Abujhmad forests.

He had a bounty of Rs 1.5 crore and was wanted for orchestrating multiple deadly attacks on security forces across states.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah had termed Rao’s killing a "landmark achievement", noting it was the first time in three decades that a general secretary-ranked leader had been neutralised.

In a related development, 16 Maoist cadres, including six with combined rewards of Rs 25 lakh, surrendered earlier this week in Sukma district.

Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan said that they cited disillusionment with Maoist ideology and violence against local tribals as reasons for giving up arms.

Also Read: US Appeals Court Denies Apple’s Request To Halt App Store Reforms Amid Epic Lawsuit