In a major success in the ongoing anti-Naxal operations, 3 Naxalites, carrying a combined bounty of Rs 1.35 crore, were neutralised in the Pati Piri Forest of Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh district, Superintendent of Police Anjani Anjan on Monday (15th September).
According to the Hazaribagh SP, Sahdev Soren alias Parvesh, a member of the Central Committee, carried a reward of Rs 1 crore.
Hazaribagh, Jharkhand | Sahdeo Soren, a Central Committee Member of CPI(Maoist) carrying Rs 1 Crore on his head, killed in an encounter with a joint team of CoBRA battalion, Giridih and Hazaribagh Police. Naxal commanders Raghunath Hembram@Chanchal and Birsen Ganjhu@Ramkhelawan… pic.twitter.com/xfHThf1FW8
— ANI (@ANI) September 15, 2025
Another neutralised member, Raghunath Hembram, was a member of the Bihar-Jharkhand Special Area Committee and carried a reward of Rs 25 lakh. Meanwhile Birsen Ganjhu alias Ramkhelavan, member of the regional committee carried a reward of Rs 10 lakh.
Earlier on September 7 in Chaibasa, a prominent leader of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), Aaptan, was killed during a gunfight, according to Superintendent of Police (SP) Rakesh Ranjan. The Maoist zonal commander, also known by the name Amit Hansda, had a Rs 10 lakh reward on him, had over 95 cases registered against him, and was allegedly involved in the murder of multiple police officials and civilians.
Police said the operation was launched after intelligence on September 6 indicated that top Maoists were planning to carry out major attacks and trying to recruit new cadres.
Recently, a major anti-Naxal operation in the Gariyaband district in Chhattisgarh, the security forces eliminated 10 Naxal terrorists, including senior Naxal leader Modem Balkrishna alias Manoj, who had a bounty of ₹1 crore on him. Naxalite Manoj was killed during an encounter.
Modi government has committed to eradicate Naxalism by 2026
In pursuance of its zero-tolerance policy towards Naxalim, the Modi government launched Operation Kagar in January 2024. It is a multi-pronged strategy combining aggressive military operations, enhanced coordination between Central and State forces, and development efforts to address the root causes of Naxalism. Under this operation, around 1 lakh para-military troops, including the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), its elite CoBRA units, District Reserve Guards DRG), and state police, have been deployed in the left-wing terrorism affected areas. These security personnel are equipped with modern technology like drones for information gathering, AI for intelligence gathering, and satellite imagery, among others.
Union Home Minister has declared to eradicate Naxalism by March 2026. As of 2015, approximately 106 districts across 10 states were classified as naxal-affected. This number was reduced to 38 by 2024 and further to 18. Out of these, 12 were considered the most impacted by naxal activities, yet this figure has now fallen to just 6.
After the neutralisation of Naxal leader Modem Balkrishna alias Manoj, who had a bounty of ₹1 crore on him, last week, HM Amit Shah had posted that the last remaining Naxals should surrender before the security forces soon, if they want to save their lives.
