Ganesh Uikey among 6 Maoists killed: Left-wing extremism almost leaderless in India

Six Maoists, including a senior Naxalite leader Ganesh Uike were killed during a six-day operation by security forces in Odisha’s Kandhamal district on Thursday. 

Union Minister Amit Shah hailed a ‘significant milestone’ contributing towards a Naxal-free Bharat and eliminating left-wing extremism.

Taking to X, Home Minister of India described the operation as successful marking it a milestone in the history of India. 

“In a major operation in Kandhmal, Odisha, 6 Naxalites, including Central Committee Member Ganesh Uike, have been neutralised so far. With this major breakthrough, Odisha stands at the threshold of becoming completely free from Naxalism. We are resolved to eliminate Naxalism before the 31st of March 2026,” HMO said.

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Acting on specific inputs from the Special Intelligence Wing (SIW), security forces launched a joint operation involving 23 teams, 20 Special Operations Group (SOG) teams, two CRPF teams, and one BSF team across the Chakapad police station area of Kandhamal and adjoining parts of Ganjam district in the Rambha forest range.

According to a senior police official overseeing anti-Naxal operations in Odisha, Uike was the state chief of the CPI (Maoist) and carried a reward of Rs 1.1 crore. The encounter took place in forested terrain under the jurisdiction of Chakapad police station in Kandhmal.

“Two Maoists were gunned down on Wednesday, and four were neutralised this morning. The killing of a central committee member is a big success for Odisha Police. It has broken the backbone of the Maoists in the state," said DGP Y B Khurania as quoted by News 18. 

“This is one of the biggest operations against Maoists in Odisha in recent times. We thank the security personnel involved in the operation. We are determined to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s target of eliminating Naxalism by March 2026," he added.

The officer said Uike, 69, operated under several aliases – Pakka Hanumantu, Rajesh Tiwari, Chamru and Rupa – and hailed from Pullemala village in Chendur mandal of Telangana’s Nalgonda district. 

The identities of the remaining five Naxalites killed in the operation, including two women, were yet to be confirmed, PTI reported.