India’s crackdown on Naxalism is continuing unabated as it pursues its target of eliminating the left wing terrorism in the country by March 2026. Home Minister Amit Shah has repeatedly emphasised that they will end Naxalism in India by that deadline, and they seem to be well on their way.
In another major success as part of the mission, 6 Naxalites were eliminated in Odisha, including top leader Ganesh Uike. He had a bounty of Rs 1.1 Crore on his head.
Ganesh Uikey, 69, a high-ranking central committee member of the CPI (Maoist) and head of its Odisha operations, was killed by teams of the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the Rampa forest area bordering Kandhamal and Ganjam districts.
This is one of the biggest successes for security forces against Naxalism in Odisha. 69 years old Uike was one of the few remaining members of the Maoist Central Committee, the group’s apex decision-making body. He was active for the last 40 years and during that time, the bounty on him had increased to 1.1 Crore.
The latest encounter comes amidst a spate of encounters and surrenders of Naxalites. Notably, just 2 days back 22 Naxals had surrendered in the state. Following that, this elimination of a high profile leader has come as a body blow to the Naxa;ite movement.
