RANCHI: In a significant achievement, Jharkhand Police have allegedly neutralised several top Maoist leaders and arrested nearly 200 cadres as part of ongoing anti-Naxal operations across the state.
According to an official communiqué from the state police headquarters, 17 Maoists were killed in police encounters at different locations, while 197 were arrested between January and June 2025.
Those killed or arrested include top Maoists holding designations such as Regional Commanders (RC), Zonal Committee Members (ZCM), Sub-Zonal Commanders (SZC), and Area Commanders (AC).
Among the deceased are Vivek alias Prayag Manjhi, Central Committee Member (CCM - Maoist), who allegedly carried a bounty of Rs 1 crore; Arvind Yadav alias Ashok, Special Area Committee (SAC - Maoist); and Saheb Ram Manjhi alias Rahul, ZCM (Maoist) with a reward of Rs 10 lakh.
Others include Vinay Ganjhu alias Sanju Ganjhu, ZCM (Maoist); Pappu Lohara alias Suryadev Lohara, ZCM (JJMP) with a reward of Rs 10 lakh; Manish Yadav alias Manish ji, SZC (Maoist) carrying a bounty of Rs 5 lakh; and Sudesh Ganjhu alias Prabhat ji.
Also killed were SZC (JJMP) leader Hemant Majhian with a Rs 5 lakh reward, ACs Hemant Majhian and Shanti Devi (Maoist), and Rahul Turi alias Alok ji. Seven others allegedly linked to TSPC were also killed during these encounters.
Among the 197 arrested, key Maoists include Aakraman Ganjhu alias Ravindra Ganjhu, RCM (TSPC) with a Rs 15 lakh reward; Ranvijay Mahato, RCM (CPI-Maoist) with a Rs 15 lakh reward; and Kundan Kherwar alias Sudhir Singh. Others arrested have been identified as Gautam Yadav, ZC (Maoist) with a Rs 10 lakh reward; Sunil Munda alias Bharat Ji, AC (TSPC); Rupesh Kumar, AC (TSPC); and Sanjeet Kumar alias Sanjeet Giri alias Sanjeet Das alias Vikrant Ji, AC (TSPC).
Further arrests include Krishna Yadav alias Tufan Ji alias Sultan Ji, AC (PLFI) with a ₹2 lakh reward; Durga Singh alias Panjri Singh, AC (PLFI); Jitendra Singh Kherwar alias Jitendra Ji alias Bajrangi, AC (JJMP); and Murali Bhuiya alias Chhotu Ji alias Pappu Ji, AC (JJMP).
Additionally, ten Maoists reportedly surrendered before police under the 'Nai Dishayen' campaign launched by the state police during this period. Among them was Anand Singh alias Kaltu Singh alias Bhagwan, SZC (Maoist) of Latehar, who surrendered on 3 March 2025.
Notably, police claim that Maoist activities are now restricted only to the Saranda jungles in Jharkhand, as they have been eliminated from other pockets of the state.
According to estimates, around 85–90 Maoists are believed to be hiding in Saranda, where they have allegedly planted thousands of IEDs, posing a major challenge for security forces.
A joint operation in the Kolhan and Saranda jungles of Chaibasa was launched in November 2022, following intelligence inputs about the presence of top Maoist leaders in the region, including Misir Besra, a senior CPI(Maoist) commander who allegedly carries a Rs 1 crore bounty on his head.