Top Maoist leader Ganesh Uike with ₹1.1 crore bounty shot dead in Odisha forest encounter

In a significant blow to Maoist insurgency, Odisha police gunned down Ganesh Uike, a central committee member of the CPI (Maoist) and the chief of the banned outfit in the state, in a fierce encounter on December 25.

The 69-year-old rebel, who carried a hefty bounty of ₹1.1 crore on his head, was killed along with three other Maoists in a gunbattle in the dense forests of Kandhamal district’s Chakapad police station area.

A senior anti-Naxal official confirmed Uike’s death, describing him by his multiple aliases — Pakka Hanumantu, Rajesh Tiwari, Chamru, and Rupa. A native of Pullemala village in Telangana’s Nalgonda district, Uike was a key figure in orchestrating Maoist operations in Odisha.

The identities of the other three rebels, including two women, remain unconfirmed as investigations continue. This encounter marks a decisive moment in Odisha’s ongoing battle against left-wing extremism, delivering a critical setback to Maoist cadres in the region.