A major security breakthrough was achieved in Jharkhand on Monday morning when security forces neutralised three Maoists, including a top-ranked insurgent carrying a bounty of ₹1 crore on his head. The encounter unfolded around 6 a.m. in the dense Pantitri forest, which falls under the jurisdiction of Gorhar police station in Hazaribag district.

Acting on specific intelligence inputs, a joint team of state police and central paramilitary forces launched a search operation targeting the squad led by Sahdev Soren, a dreaded figure within the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).

Soren had been a high-profile target for security forces due to his long-standing role in violent activities, extortion rackets, and the orchestration of ambushes against the state. His death marks a significant setback for the CPI (Maoist)’s operational capacity in the region.

As the security team combed the forest area, they encountered heavy retaliatory fire from Maoist cadres, triggering a fierce gun battle. After the exchange of fire died down, the bodies of three Maoists, including Soren, were recovered from the site.

The slain insurgents were reportedly part of an active squad responsible for maintaining influence and inducing fear in pockets of Jharkhand through targeted attacks on security forces and civilians, as well as through forced levy collections.

Soren in particular, with the steep bounty of ₹1 crore declared for his capture, was one of the most wanted Maoist leaders in eastern India, believed to be directly involved in planning and coordinating attacks across multiple districts.

The recovery of his body represents a major symbolic and operational blow to the Maoist movement in Jharkhand, where remnants of the insurgent network have sought safe havens in forested areas and rugged terrains. Security officials have conveyed that the operation is ongoing as more cadres of the group are suspected to be hiding in the Pantitri forest.

Arms, ammunition, and other materials are also being collected from the encounter site, which will be catalogued for forensic and intelligence purposes. The killings are expected to disrupt Maoist activities across adjoining districts, where Soren’s leadership had provided organisational cohesion and tactical experience to squads.

Authorities emphasised that the encounter further underlines the effectiveness of intensified intelligence-driven operations in Jharkhand, which has been one of the worst-affected states by left-wing extremism.

The elimination of a Maoist leader of Soren’s stature highlights both improved ground-level coordination among security agencies and the steady attrition of the CPI (Maoist)’s command structure.

Senior police officials noted that continued search and combing operations will be conducted in and around the region to pre-empt retaliatory strikes or regrouping attempts by the remaining insurgent factions.

The encounter, therefore, is not only a tactical success but also a strategic gain in the state’s long-running counter-insurgency campaign against left-wing extremism in central and eastern India.

Based On A PTI Report