Senior Maoist leader among 10 killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh's Gariaband

Among 10 Maoists killed on Thursday is Modem Bala Krishna who joined the movement in 1983 and was considered one of the longest-serving figures in CPI (Maoists)

Updated on: Sep 11, 2025, 20:10:19 IST

By Ritesh Mishra

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Senior Maoist commander and central committee member Modem Bala Krishna, 64, was among the 10 people killed in a fierce gun battle with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband district on Thursday, state police officers said.

File photo: A view of the encounter site where an exchange of fire took place between Maoists and security forces in Chhattisgarh. (CRPF )

Bala Krishna, also known as Balanna, Ramachandar and Bhaskar, joined the movement in 1983 and was considered one of the longest-serving figures in the CPI (Maoists). He was currently the secretary of the Odisha State Regional Committee (ORSC) and a member of the party’s Central Committee.

Inspector General of Police, Raipur Range, Amresh Mishra said the operation was started on Wednesday night following intelligence inputs about the presence of a central committee member and his team in the jungles of Gariaband. The team made contact with the Maoists on Thursday.

“After the firing subsided, the bodies were found. We are yet to confirm the identity as it is dark. The bodies will be brought on Friday,” the IG said.

A senior police officer said an announcement about the senior Maoist commander’s name would be made after the formal procedures for identification are completed at the Gariaband district headquarters on Friday.

The officer said it was suspected that a state committee member from Odisha, Pramod alias Pandu, may also be among the Maoists killed in the operation.

Bala Krishna’s killing marks a blow to the Maoist central committee, which has already lost several senior leaders this year. In May, the outfit’s general secretary, Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju, was killed in Abujhmarh, Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh.

Around the same time, Gautam alias Sudhakar, a central committee member carrying a ₹40 lakh bounty, was killed in Bijapur. In Andhra Pradesh, Gajarla Ravi alias Uday, another CCM and former Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee secretary, was eliminated in Alluri Sitharama Raju district. Earlier this year, Chalpathi alias Jairam, a central committee member with a ₹1 crore bounty, was killed along with 13 others in Gariaband.

Who was Modem Bala Krishna?

Modem Balakrishna (64), also known by several aliases including Venkateswarlu, Balanna, Ramchander, Babanna, Bhaskar and Rajendra, is a senior leader of the banned CPI (Maoist). He currently serves as a central committee member (CCM) and is in charge of the western bureau under the Odisha state committee.

Balakrishna hails from Madikonda in Warangal district and at one point resided in Sultanpura, Chaderghat, Hyderabad. He studied SSC in English medium at Sulthanbazar Government High School, Hyderabad, before joining Malakpet Junior College, Hyderabad, where he pursued an intermediate vocational course between 1981 and 1983. During this period, he was influenced by the ideology of Sambamurthy and Santosh Reddy of the RSU, which drew him into the Maoist movement. In 1983, he went to Bhadrachalam forests as a full-time cadre.

His militant career saw multiple arrests and jail terms. In 1984, he was arrested at Bhadrachalam bus stand and lodged in Warangal Central Jail until the end of 1986. After his release, he shifted to Hyderabad but was again arrested in Mahaboobnagar in 1987, leading to his imprisonment in Musheerabad Jail until January 1990. He was released in a prisoner exchange following the abduction of TDP MLA Venkateswara Rao. Afterward, he resumed Maoist activities in Hyderabad city.

In April 1991, with the formation of district committees for Nalgonda and Mahaboobnagar, Balakrishna was appointed as District Committee Secretary of Mahaboobnagar. By May 1991, he was elevated as a Regional Committee Member of the South Telangana Region Committee. In March 1993, he was arrested in Kurnool district and lodged in Chanchalguda Central Jail. He secured conditional bail on August 18, 1999, after which he went underground again.

Post-bail, Balakrishna rose further in the Maoist hierarchy. He was made Secretary of the Odisha State Organising Committee (SOC) and is currently guiding the Western Bureau under the Odisha State Committee of CPI (Maoist).

Maoist setback

Thursday’s gunfight in Gariaband takes the total number of Maoists killed in Chhattisgarh this year to 241. Of them, 210 were eliminated in the Bastar division, comprising seven districts, while 27 others were killed in Gariaband district, which falls under the Raipur division.

Last year, 219 Maoists were killed by security forces in Chhattisgarh in operations.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ritesh Mishra
Ritesh Mishra is the State Correspondent for Chhattisgarh with Hindustan Times. He reports on Maoism, internal security, politics, mining, governance, and major developments shaping the state. Based in Raipur, he has covered Chhattisgarh since 2016, reporting extensively from the Bastar region and other conflict-affected areas. With nearly two decades of experience in journalism, Ritesh has built a reputation for ground reporting from some of India's most challenging terrains. His coverage spans Left-Wing Extremism, counter-insurgency operations, elections, tribal affairs, environmental issues, infrastructure, mining, and socio-economic developments. He has reported on major security operations, policy initiatives, wildlife crime, and the changing dynamics of conflict and development in Central India. Before moving to Chhattisgarh, Ritesh spent eight years reporting from Madhya Pradesh, covering politics, administration, crime, development, and social issues. Throughout his career, he has reported on various forms of extremism in Central India, combining field reporting with in-depth analysis to produce accurate, balanced, and impactful journalism. Prior to joining Hindustan Times, Ritesh worked with The Pioneer and The Free Press Journal, where he covered a wide range of beats and honed his skills in political, investigative, and field reporting. His reporting is marked by exclusive stories, extensive fieldwork, and a commitment to factual, on-the-ground journalism that brings complex issues to a wider audience.Read More

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