E-Paper
Jharkhand DGP Tadasha Mishra lauds forces for Operation Megaburu
“Saranda is going to be free of Naxals shortly, and this ‘Operation Megaburu’ is the beginning of the end of the banned LWE outfit CPI (Maoist) and its ‘Red Terror’ in Jharkhand. A total of 17 Naxals have been neutralised, including CCM Patiram Majhi alias Anal-da and Lalchand Hembram alias Anmol who both carried a collective bounty of ₹3.25 crore, during the fierce encounter on Thursday and Friday. This was not just an encounter but a direct attack on the Maoist leadership structure. It’s a big turning point for the internal security of the state and the country,” the DGP told a press conference at Chaibasa on Saturday.
Jharkhand director general of police (DGP) Tadasha Mishra on Saturday lauded the security forces for ‘Operation Megaburu’, under which 17 Maoists, including CCM Patiram Majhi alias Anal-da, who carried a ₹2.35 crore bounty, were killed in the Saranda forests of West Singhbhum district, and said the end of Naxals in the region was now within sight, while announcing awards for the CoBRA battalion, CRPF, and state police.
“Saranda is going to be free of Naxals shortly, and this ‘Operation Megaburu’ is the beginning of the end of the banned LWE outfit CPI (Maoist) and its ‘Red Terror’ in Jharkhand. A total of 17 Naxals have been neutralised, including CCM Patiram Majhi alias Anal-da and Lalchand Hembram alias Anmol who both carried a collective bounty of ₹3.25 crore, during the fierce encounter on Thursday and Friday. This was not just an encounter but a direct attack on the Maoist leadership structure. It’s a big turning point for the internal security of the state and the country,” the DGP told a press conference at Chaibasa on Saturday.
Mishra said that the success of this magnitude came only due to better coordination among the state police, CoBRA battalion, and CRPF, and the courage of the jawans. “Our operations will continue, and our appeal to the remaining Maoists is to surrender or face the full force of the law. These types of operations will pave the way for reaching developmental projects to the remotest corners of the Saranda Reserve Forest. Many security camps have been set up where Naxals once ruled, and many more are being established,” said Mishra.
The DGP also announced a ₹4 lakh reward for the CoBRA Battalion-209, ₹1 lakh for the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and ₹1 lakh for the Jharkhand Police. “In addition, the rewards announced on the heads of the Maoists will also be distributed among the officers and personnel involved in the operation,” added Mishra.
West Singhbhum superintendent of police (SP) Amit Renu said that the operation was launched on a tip-off that squads led by Anal-da and Anmol had assembled near the Kundih-Bahda area under the Chotanagra PS to execute major subversive acts. Following this, a joint team of CoBRA Battalion-209, CRPF, and Jharkhand police was formed, and a special operation was launched early Thursday morning.
“The Maoists opened indiscriminate fire upon the security forces when they found themselves surrounded. Seventeen Naxals, including Patiram Majhi and Lalchand Hembram, were neutralised in the ensuing gun battle on Thursday and Friday morning. All the bodies of the slain Maoists have been recovered and identified. Four AK series assault rifles, four INSAS rifles, three SLRs, three .303 rifles, and a huge cache of ammunition and explosives were seized from the encounter site between Kumdih and Bahda village under the Chotanagra police station (PS) inside Saranda Forest during the two-day operation,” the SP said.
