The operation, which unfolded in the early hours of Christmas Day, was the result of pinpoint intelligence provided by the Special Intelligence Wing (SIW). A joint task force comprising over 20 elite teams—including the Odisha Police's Special Operations Group (SOG), the CRPF, and the BSF—conducted a massive combing operation in the Chakapad police station area and the Rambha forest range.
A Multi-Pronged Operation The engagement began late Wednesday night in the Gumma forest, where two Maoists from Chhattisgarh—identified as area committee member Bari (alias Rakesh) and Amrit, carrying a combined bounty of ₹23.65 lakh—were killed. The momentum carried into Thursday morning when fresh gun battles erupted, leading to the neutralization of four more rebels, including Ganesh Uike. The bodies of two women cadres were also recovered from the site.
The Legacy of Ganesh Uike Hailing from Nalgonda in Telangana, the 69-year-old Uike (also known as Pakka Hanumantu or Rajesh Tiwari) had spent over four decades in the "Red Corridor." As the chief of Maoist operations in Odisha and a Central Committee member, he was the strategic mastermind behind several high-profile attacks. Odisha DGP Y.B. Khurania described the success as a "backbone-breaking" blow to the organization, noting that Uike was the primary link between the Maoist command structure and the local operational units.
Security forces recovered a significant cache of weapons from the encounter site, including INSAS rifles, .303 rifles, and advanced communication sets. This operation aligns with Union Home Minister Amit Shah's national target to make India "Maoist-free" by March 2026.
