Raipur, Sept. 11 — Ten Naxalites, including a senior Maoist leader carrying a bounty of ₹1 crore, were killed in a fierce encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband district on Thursday, police officials confirmed.
The deceased include Modem Balakrishna, a Central Committee Member (CCM) of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). Known by multiple aliases — Manoj, Balanna, Ramachander, and Bhaskar — Balakrishna served as secretary of the Maoists’ Odisha State Committee and had been associated with the insurgency since the early 1980s.
The gun battle broke out in forested terrain under Mainpur police station limits, about 180 kilometers from state capital Raipur, when joint teams of security personnel launched an anti-Naxal operation. “Intermittent exchange of fire is still underway,” Raipur Range Inspector General of Police Amresh Mishra told reporters.
Forces involved in the operation include the Special Task Force (STF) of Chhattisgarh Police, district police unit E-30, CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) of the CRPF, and other state units. Mishra said the offensive was based on intelligence inputs regarding the movement of top Maoist leaders in the area.
“So far, ten Naxalites, including senior cadres, have been gunned down. Further details will emerge once the operation concludes,” he noted.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah praised the success of the security forces, calling it a major step toward ending the insurgency. “Security forces have achieved another major success against Naxalites today. In Chhattisgarh, CRPF’s CoBRA Commando, Chhattisgarh Police, and DRG conducted a joint operation and killed 10 notorious Naxalites, including CCM Modem Balakrishna alias Manoj, who had a bounty of ₹1 crore on his head,” Shah wrote on X.
Speaking to reporters, Shah added that the government remains committed to eradicating the Maoist movement. “The complete elimination of Naxalism is certain before March 31 next year,” he said.
Officials said Balakrishna’s death is a major blow to the Maoist network in Odisha and Chhattisgarh, where security operations have intensified in recent months.
