Hyderabad: Amid the rising incidents of encounter with security forces, several Maoists, including one carrying a bounty of Rs one crore, were killed in Chhattisgarh's Gariaband district last night. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who has announced eradicating Naxalism in India by March 31, 2026, has termed this operation a major success towards building a 'Naxal-free Bharat'.
Here's a timeline of the high-profile Maoist leaders who were killed in encounters with security forces since 1970:
- July 10, 1970: Vempatapu Satyanarayan and Adibatla Kailasa, leaders of Srikakulam uprising killed in police encounter.
- November 2, 1999: Three central committee members including the second-in-command Nalla Adi Reddy and AP state unit secretary Mahesh alias Santosh Reddy were killed in an encounter between police and a PWG dalam in Telangana's Karimnagar district. Seelam Naresh alias Murali, secretary of the north Telangana committee of the PWG was the other one. All the three PWG leaders carried a reward of Rs 12 lakh each.
- March 7, 2005: CPI (ML) Janashkti leader Riaz shot dead in an encounter on the outskirts of Mohinikunta village in Mustabad mandal of Karimnagar district.
- June 17, 2006: Mattam Ravikumar alias Sridhar alias Anil, a senior Maoist leader, killed near Nallamala forests in Yerragondapalem.
- July 13, 2006: Mastermind behind the murder of A. Madhava Reddy and IPS officer G.Paradesi Naidu, Ch. Umesh Chandra and MLA Ch. Narsi Reddy, Madhav, the state committee secretary of the CPI (Maoist), was killed in an encounter in Hyderabad.
- September 15, 2006: CPI (Maoist) secretary of Mahadevpur area Alwal Saraiah alias Madhu killed in Warangal district.
- October 12, 2006: Janasakthi (Rajanna faction) state committee member and Medak committee secretary Manturi Nagabhushanam (33) alias Sanjeev alias Shubhash shot dead by the police near bonala village of Chegunta mandal in Telangana's Sangareddy district.
- December 28, 2006: Naxal leader Chandramauli killed in Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam district. He has been commanding Naxal activities in the Andhra-Orissa border for a long time.
- June 22, 2007: Top Maoist leader Sande Rajamouli alias Prasad was killed in an alleged encounter with the police in Anantapur.
- July 1, 2007: Senior member of the CPI(Maoist) Chettiraja Papaiah alias Somanna was killed in an encounter with the police in Warangal. Somanna was the north Telangana special zonal committee secretary member.
- April 2, 2008: Top Maoist and most-wanted Naxalite of Andhra Pradesh and Chhattishgarh, Gajerla Saraiah alias Azad Alias Bhaskar, was killed in an encounter in Warangal. Azad's wife was also killed in the exchange of fire.
- January 15, 2009: Police killed Maoist leader, Karamthota Govinda Naik alias Sanjeevi alias Raju (34), in an encounter at Mulampalli village of Pullalacheruvu mandal in Andhra Pradesh's Prakasam district.
- May 24, 2009: Two top Maoist leaders, Patel Sudhakar Reddy alias Suryam and Kanugula Venkataiah, central committee and state Committee members respectively, were killed in an exchange of fire with the police on the Gaurappa hillocks near Lavvala village in the thick Tadvai forest area.
- December 2, 2009: Three Maoists cadres were killed in an encounter with special party policemen in the forest near Kallegaon-Pittaguda under Kerameri police station limits in Telangana's Adilabad district. While two were named Mylarapu Adellu, committee secretary (DCS) of the CPI (Maoist) and Chippakurthi Ravi, district committee member, the third could not be identified.
- March 12, 2010: Two top Maoist leaders Sakhamuri Appa Rao and Solipeta Kondal Reddy were shot dead in two separate alleged encounters by the police in Prakasam and Warangal districts in Andhra Pradesh. Police recovered AK 47 rifles from the two encounter sites. Both the slain leaders were at the level of state committee member. While Appa Rao had a reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head, Reddy had a reward of Rs 5 lakh on him.
- June 2, 2010: Andhra Pradesh Police shot dead Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azada, a politburo member, in one of his hideouts at Jogapur jungles in Andhra Pradesh's Adilabad district.
- November 24, 2011: Mallojula Koteswara Rao alias Kishanji: Kishanji, a politburo member, was killed in an encounter in Burisole forest in West Bengal's West Midnapore district.
- August 23, 2013: Dreaded Naxal leader Madhav alias Golla Ramullu who carried Rs four lakh on his head was killed in an encounter with security forces in Odisha's Malkangiri. Madhav was a most-wanted Naxal in Odisha and was involved in many incidents of murder, including the killing of 38 security personnel in Chitrakonda reservoir, extortion and land mine blasts.
- October 2016: Four central committee members namely Daya alias Garla Ravi, Ganesh, Mallesh and Chalapathi were killed in the encounter. Both Ravi, Andhra-Odisha-Chhattisgarh division committee secretary, and Chalapathi alias Appa Rao, secretary of the east division and native of Chittoor district, carried bounty of Rs 20 lakh each. Chalapathi's wife Aruna and another leader Bakuri Venkata Ramana Murthy were also killed in the incident.
- November 13, 2021: Milind Teltumbde, a central committee member of CPI (Maoist), was among the 26 Maoists killed in an encounter with security personnel in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district. Teltumbde (58), who had a bounty of Rs 50 lakh was in-charge of the Maoist outfit’s Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh (MMC) zone, police said. He was also the younger brother of former IIT professor, Dalit intellectual and writer, Anand Teltumbde, who was jailed in connection with the Elgar Parishad case.
- April 3, 2023: Five Maoist leaders with Rs a total of Rs 65 lakh bounty killed during encounter with security forces in Jharkhand's Chatra district. Among the five, two were special area committee members namely Gautam Paswan, resident of Dumaria in Bihar's Gaya district and Ajeet Oraon alias Charlis of Balumath in Latehar. The remaining three were sub-zonal commanders Amar Ganjhu, Ajay Yadav and Sanjeet Bhuiyan. While Paswan and Charlis carried a bounty of Rs 25 lakh each, the three sub-zonal commanders had a reward of Rs 5 lakh each on their heads.
- April 16, 2024: Security forces gunned down at least 29 Maoists in an encounter in Chhatisgarh's Kanker district, close to Maharashtra border. This is the highest casualty Maoist have suffered in a single operation in Chhattisgarh. The dead include “senior commanders” Shankar Rao, Lalita and Vinod Gawde who carried a combined bounty of Rs 24 lakh.
- September 3, 2024: Nine Maoists killed in an encounter with security forces on the Dantewada-Bijapur district border in Chhattisgarh had a combined bounty of Rs 60 lakh, police said. Among whom, one, identified as Macharela Yesobu, carried a bounty of Rs 25 lakh and had been part of the Naxalite movement since 1988, an officer of Dantewada Police said. He hailed from the Warangal district in undivided Andhra Pradesh and was known as “Ranader” in the Naxal organisation.
- December 2, 2024: Seven CPI (Maoist) members, including Kursam Mangu (35) carrying a bounty of Rs 20 lakh, were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Telangana's Mulugu district. Kursam Mangu was Telangana state committee member and known as Bhadru or Papanna, from Cheramangi village of Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district.
- January 16, 2025: In a major setback to the CPI (Maoist) in Telangana, the party's state committee secretary Bade Chokka Rao alias Damodar was killed in the exchange of fire with security forces in the forest of Bijapur district in South Bastar of Chhattisgarh. Damodar (55), who hailed from Kalvapalli village of Sammakka Sarakka Tadvai mandal of Mulugu district, was in the most-wanted list in Telangana and Chattisgarh, and reportedly carrying a reward of Rs 50 lakh on his head.
Apart from those who were killed during encounters, there are some hardcore Maoist leaders who were either arrested or succumbed to illnesses. They are:
- Kishanda, alias Prashant Bose, who had a bountry of Rs 1.47 crore, was arrested in Jharkhand along with his wife Sheela Marandi in November 2021
- Katakam Sudeshan, carrying a bounty of Rs 1.47 crore, died due to heart attack in June 2023.
- Maoist commander in Jharkhand, Deo Kumar Singh alias Arvindji, who had a bounty of Rs 1.32 crore, died of an apparent heart attack.
Few Maoist leaders who presently carry big bounties are:
- Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraj, CPI (Maoist) general secretary, who carries a bounty of Rs 1.50 crore.
- Bastar's most-dreaded Maoist leader Madvi Hidma member of the central committee of Communist Party of India carries Rs 1 crore bounty on his head.
- Former CPI (Maoist) general secretary Ganapathy has a bountry of Rs 2.52 crore. He had stepped down as the general secretary in November 2018.
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