A senior Maoist leader was killed by security forces in Jharkhand’s Latehar on Saturday, days after the encounter of top Maoist leader, Nambala Keshavrao alias Basavaraju, in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur, sources said.
Pappu Lohara, who was carrying a reward of Rs 10 lakh, was the leader of the Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad, a renegade Maoist outfit. He was killed along with his aide, Prabhat Ganjhu, who was carrying a bounty of Rs 5 lakh.
Another member of the group, who was injured, was arrested, and an INSAS rifle was recovered from him, sources said.
The encounter comes three days after in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district. He was among 27 Maoists who were killed after a gunfight that lasted for over 50 hours and took place along the Narayanpur-Bijapur border.
Basavaraju was formerly the head of the Central Military Commission and later became the General Secretary, the highest position in the Maoist hierarchy.
Basavaraju, who carried a reward of Rs 1.5 crore, was wanted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and police forces in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Union Home Minister , who has vowed to eradicate Maoists by March 2026, called the encounter a “landmark achievement in the battle to eliminate Naxalism”.
“This is the first time in three decades of Bharat’s battle against Naxalism that a general secretary-ranked leader has been neutralized by our forces,” he posted on X.
He also praised the bravery of security forces and said that since the completion of “Operation Black Forest”, 54 Maoists have been arrested and 84 others have surrendered across Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Maharashtra.
“The Modi government is resolved to eliminate Naxalism before the 31st of March 2026,” Mr Shah added.