New Delhi: The central government has list down the names of five hardcore Maoists, all of whom are currently active in the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, a top official in the Ministry of Home Affairs told ETV Bharat on Wednesday. Additionally, the security agencies have also been able to slay five Maoists during a recent encounter.
“We have achieved major success in anti-Naxal operation recently where we neutralized Gautam Paswan (BJSAC member and reward of Rs 25 Lakh), Ajit Oraon and three others in the Grahe forest area (PS Lawalong, Distt Chatra),” a senior official dealing with Naxal issues told ETV Bharat. In the encounter with Maoists that took place on Sunday-Monday, dead bodies of five Maoists along with automatic weapons has also been recovered, he added.
"A camp of Maoists has also been destroyed during the joint operation wherein modern automatic weapons, ammunition and other essential items have also been recovered. We believe that by taking ahead this anti-naxal operation, we will be able to wipe out naxalism from the country very soon,” he said.
Nambala Keshava Rao, the Central Committee Member of Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh is the number one Maoist on the wanted list of the central security agencies. The four other top ultras include Muppala Laxmana Rao, Mallojula Venugopal, and Thippari Tirupathi, the Central Committee members of Karimnagar in Telangana, and Katakam Sudershan, the Central Committee Member of Adilabad in Telangana.
Following instructions from Home Minister Amit Shah, security agencies are focusing on making all states free from Naxal menace. Home Minister Shah had earlier said that the Naxalite violence has declined over the last decade and efforts are on to rid the country of the Naxal menace before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
