Bhubaneswar, Dec 25 (AHN) Dreaded Maoist commander Ganesh Uike, a central committee member of the CPI (Maoist) and carrying a bounty of Rs one crore, was killed in a major anti-Naxal operation in Odisha, police officials said on Thursday.

Uike was gunned down in an encounter with a joint security force team comprising Odisha Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG), the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and the Border Security Force (BSF) in the dense Rampa forest area along the Kandhamal-Ganjam district border.

Security officials said Ganesh Uike had been active in the Maoist movement for nearly four decades and was among the most wanted Maoist leaders in the country.

A native of Nalgonda district in Telangana, he was elevated to the central committee of the banned outfit a few years ago, reflecting his strategic importance within the organisation.

Uike was the mastermind behind the 2013 Jhiram Ghati massacre in Chhattisgarh, in which several senior Congress leaders were killed, and was involved in multiple high-profile Maoist attacks across states.

Over the past three years, he had been operating in the Kandhamal region of Odisha, coordinating guerrilla activities and strengthening Maoist networks.

Within the Maoist ranks, he was known by the alias P. Hanumanta.

In the same encounter, four Maoists, including two women cadres, were neutralised. The bodies of all the slain Maoists have been recovered from the encounter site, officials said.

Odisha Police DIG (Naxal Operations) Akhileshwar Singh confirmed the development, adding that the operation was based on specific intelligence inputs.

He said senior officers are closely monitoring the situation and further combing operations are underway in the area to rule out the presence of additional Maoist cadres.

The killing of Ganesh Uike is being seen as a significant blow to the Maoist leadership structure. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has repeatedly stated that the menace of Left-Wing Extremism will be eliminated from the country by March 2026.

Developments through 2025 indicate intensified counter-insurgency operations, resulting not only in the neutralisation of top Maoist leaders but also a growing number of surrenders.