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Maoists gunned down in Saranda: Choking supply lines, security presence key to anti-Naxal op
The joint operation, led by the 209 Battalion of Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), the elite strike force of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and personnel from Jharkhand Jaguar and the Jharkhand Police on Thursday, registered the biggest-ever anti-naxal strike in the state, eliminating 15 Maoists, including Patiram Manjhi — a Central Committee member of CPI (Maoist) carrying a bounty of ₹2.35 crore.
A sustained effort to choke supply lines to the Communist Party of India (Maoist) cadres holed up in Saranda, along with an expanded permanent security presence in deep forest zones, played a key role in eliminating 15 naxalites in a single day in West Singhbhum district, officials involved in the anti-naxal operation said on Friday.
The joint operation, led by the 209 Battalion of Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), the elite strike force of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and personnel from Jharkhand Jaguar and the Jharkhand Police on Thursday, registered the biggest-ever anti-naxal strike in the state, eliminating 15 Maoists, including Patiram Manjhi — a Central Committee member of CPI (Maoist) carrying a bounty of ₹2.35 crore.
“The January 22 action was a culmination of several efforts that were being made over the past several months. It’s very difficult for any force to enter such a heavily forested plateau region. You can’t even monitor much from the sky, as the tree canopy makes it difficult for even drones to see through it. Our task becomes easier if the ultras are forced to leave their hideouts deep inside and move out, for whatever reasons, with the supply chain being an important factor. No one would like to die of hunger inside. And that has proved to be key,” said a senior official who has been involved in the ongoing anti-Naxal operation for the past several months.
“Based on local intelligence gathering, we have identified villages in that pocket which have been sympathisers and are instrumental in supplying all kinds of support to the Maoist hideouts. We rounded up such villages and ensured round-the-clock vigil. Lately, the mass support for the Maoists has also dwindled due to the changing scenario. As the supply chain got disrupted, the ultras were forced to break into small groups, which weakened them. Ground intelligence on their movement helped us in zeroing in on them and rounding them up,” the official added.
The encounter on Thursday took place in the stretch between Kumdih and Bahada villages, spreading across Chhota Nagra and Kiriburu police station limits in West Singhbhum district, with the forested region bordering both Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
Officials said the presence of security personnel has increased in the region, with new camps coming up at around a dozen locations, including Nugda, Thalkobad, Baliva, Tirilposi, Marangpura, and Hindekudi, among others, over the past couple of years.
Officials further said the special operation to cleanse the Saranda region, the last citadel of the Maoists, was started soon after Burha Pahad—considered the headquarters of the Maoists spread across Latehar and Garhwa districts—was captured by security forces in January 2023. However, the progress has been slow in Singhbhum due to other strategic reasons.
“The area is heavily mined. Both security personnel and commoners have lost their lives and been grievously injured, even in accidental mine blasts. Many animals have been killed in the forest. We have made steady progress and are confident of meeting the target set by the government to eliminate all naxals in the area,” said a senior Jharkhand Police official.
According to a second official, around 50 armed ultras are still active in the Saranda zone, including top commanders Misir Besra, a Politburo member, and Ashim Mandal, a Central Committee member. “Misir is probably holding up in the Monkey Reserve Forest region, around 14–15 kilometres from where Manjhi was eliminated. Our operation is on. Either they surrender, or we will ultimately hunt them down,” the official quoted above added.
