At least 15 persons believed to be Maoists, including a Central Committee member of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district on Thursday, Inspector General of Police (Operations) Michael Raj announced to the press today.
According to the IGP, the exchange of fire broke out deep inside the Saranda forest near Kumbhdih village, under the Chotanagra police station limits, and was ongoing at the time of his report to the media.
The IGP claimed that among those killed in the skirmish was Anal Da, also known as Tufan or Pati Ram Majhi, a Central Committee member of the CPI (Maoist). Anal Da was considered a key strategist and operational commander of the Maoist party in the Saranda region, a long-standing stronghold of the CPI (Maoist) due to its dense forests, rugged hills and difficult terrain.
As per the IGP’s statement, security forces were conducting a large-scale anti-Maoist combing operation based on intelligence inputs when Maoist cadres, allegedly lying in ambush, opened fire early in the morning. The security personnel retaliated, triggering heavy gunfire that lasted for several hours.
The IGP stated in his remarks said the operation began around 6.30 am. “We cannot confirm the exact number of Maoists killed as the operation is still underway. However, along with Anal Da, around eight to nine more Maoists have been neutralized,” the IGP was quoted as saying, adding that security forces have cordoned off the area and are carrying out intensive combing operations.
According to the district police, Saranda forest has long been a center of activity of the Maoist party.
Source : https://organiser.org/2026/01/22/336311/bharat/jharkhand-encounter-top-maoist-leader-anal-da-with-rs-1-crore-bounty-among-15-killed/
Source : https://indianexpress.com/article/india/top-maoist-leader-bounty-killed-jharkhand-encounter-10488819/