Uttar Pradesh ATS killed Brijesh Ganjhu alias Gopal Singh Bhokta, a commander of Jharkhand-based banned Naxal outfit Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC), in an encounter in Varanasi early Sunday, officials said.
Ganjhu, a resident of Lootu village under Lawalong police station in Chatra district of Jharkhand, was carrying a combined reward of ₹30 lakh. The Jharkhand government had announced ₹25 lakh for his arrest, while the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had announced an additional ₹5 lakh, according to an official release issued by the UP government’s media cell.
Uttar Pradesh director general of police Rajeev Krishna announced a reward of ₹2 lakh for the UP ATS team involved in the encounter.
According to the release, The operation took place after the ATS received information about Ganjhu’s movement towards Mughalsarai. He was travelling on a motorcycle with an associate from Tengra Mod towards Mughalsarai via Ramnagar when an ATS team attempted to intercept him near Lanka Maidan under Ramnagar police station.
The ATS said Ganjhu abandoned the motorcycle and opened fire at the police team while attempting to evade arrest.
{{/usCountry}}The ATS said Ganjhu abandoned the motorcycle and opened fire at the police team while attempting to evade arrest.
{{/usCountry}}Deputy SP Vipin Rai and head constable Nitendra Krishna of the ATS came under fire, but their bulletproof jackets protected them. During the retaliatory firing, Ganjhu sustained a bullet injury and was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead, the release said.
The encounter comes amid intensified surveillance by UP security agencies over the movement of Naxal operatives and their associates into Uttar Pradesh. The ATS has particularly maintained a watch on possible movement through the Sonbhadra-Mirzapur corridor, which connects eastern Uttar Pradesh with Naxal-affected areas of neighbouring states.
The government release described the operation as a major action against a wanted Naxal commander carrying one of the highest cumulative rewards announced against a TPC operative.
Details of Ganjhu’s alleged criminal activities in Jharkhand are based on records and claims of investigating agencies and remain subject to the judicial process, the release said.
Criminal trail of Brijesh Ganjhu
More than 50 criminal cases, allegations of armed violence, extortion and levy collection, and nearly two decades on the run marked the criminal trail of Ganjhu .
Ganjhu, who was killed in an encounter with the UP ATS in Varanasi on Sunday, carried a cumulative reward of ₹30 lakh — ₹25 lakh announced by Jharkhand Police and ₹5 lakh by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
An ATS criminal history annexure lists 44 cases against him, while the agency said the overall number of cases registered against him was more than 50. The cases span Jharkhand’s Latehar, Chatra, Palamu, Hazaribagh and adjoining areas.
The cases include serious offences under sections 307, 364, 365, 384, 386, 387, 395, 396 and 120-B of the IPC, relating to attempt to murder, kidnapping, extortion, dacoity, dacoity with murder and criminal conspiracy. Other cases invoke sections 147, 148 and 149 for rioting and unlawful assembly, sections 323 to 326 for causing hurt and grievous hurt, and sections 353, 435 and 436 relating to assault on public servants and arson.
Several cases also invoke the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Arms Act and Explosive Substances Act.
The ATS claimed that Ganjhu was earlier associated with CPI-Maoist activities before emerging as a prominent TSPC leader. It said he subsequently played a role in sustaining the outfit through levy collection, recruitment and armed violence.
The agency also referred to two NIA cases involving alleged TSPC-linked terror financing and violent activities. The allegations and cases attributed to Ganjhu remain subject to investigation and adjudication by competent courts.