Jharkhand Maoist commander, with ₹30 lakh bounty, killed in police encounter in UP's Varanasi

Brijesh Ganjhu, alias Gopal Singh, was the chief of the Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC), a banned organisation in Jharkhand.

Updated on: Sep 20, 2026, 08:55:54 IST

By HT News Desk

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A Jharkhand-based Maoist commander, carrying a ₹30 lakh bounty, was killed in an encounter with police in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi on Sunday morning,

Brijesh Ganjhu carried a ₹30 lakh reward on his head, with the NIA having declared him wanted in several cases. (PTI/ Representational)

The Maoist commander, identified as Brijesh Ganjhu, alias Gopal Singh, was the chief of the Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC), a banned organisation in Jharkhand. The TPC is the splinter group that emerged from the CPI (Maoist).

He was a resident of Lutu, falling under the Lawalong Police Station in the Chatra district of Jharkhand, and was killed in an encounter near Tengara Mod in Varanasi.

The Jharkhand government had announced a reward of ₹25 lakh for information leading to Ganjhu's arrest, while the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had announced an additional reward of ₹5 lakh. Thus, the combined bounty on the Maoist commander was ₹30 lakh.

A police officer said he was travelling on a motorcycle with an associate from Teghra Mod towards Mughalsarai via Ramnagar, passing through the Lanka Maidan area, which is under the jurisdiction of the Ramnagar police station in Varanasi.

Acting on a tip-off, police attempted to intercept and arrest him. However, instead of stopping, he jumped out of the vehicle and opened fire on the police personnel. In the ensuing exchange of fire, he was shot. Bullets fired by the miscreant also struck the bulletproof jackets worn by UP Anti Terror Squad (ATS) deputy SP Vipin Rai and head constable Nitendra Krishna.

Ganjhu was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. Deputy SP Rai is presently undergoing treatment.

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