Ten Naxalites, including a senior leader carrying a reward of ₹1 crore on his head, were killed in an intense gun battle with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband district on Thursday, police confirmed.

According to officials, Modem Balakrishna — a Central Committee Member (CCM) of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) — was among those killed. Known by aliases Manoj, Balanna, Ramachander and Bhaskar, Balakrishna also served as the secretary of the Maoists’ Odisha State Committee and had been active in the movement since the early 1980s.

The encounter unfolded in the forests under Mainpur police station limits during an anti-Naxal operation, Inspector General of Police (Raipur Range) Amresh Mishra told news agency PTI.

Personnel from the Special Task Force (STF), E-30 unit of the district police, Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) of the CRPF, and other state police units participated in the operation. Intermittent firing was still ongoing, Mishra said, adding that the action was launched after intelligence inputs about the movement of senior Maoist cadres in the region, located over 180 kilometres from Raipur.

“So far, ten Naxalites, including senior cadres, have been neutralised. Further details will emerge as the operation continues,” the officer said.

Amit Shah hails security forces

Union Home Minister Amit Shah lauded the achievement in a post on X (formerly Twitter), crediting the joint forces of the CRPF’s CoBRA unit, Chhattisgarh Police and the District Reserve Guard (DRG).

“Security forces have achieved another major success against Naxalites today. In Chhattisgarh, CRPF’s Cobra Commando, Chhattisgarh Police and DRG conducted a joint operation and killed 10 notorious Naxalites including CCM Modem Balakrishna alias Manoj, who had a bounty of Rs 1 crore on his head. The remaining Naxalites should also surrender in time,” Shah wrote.

He further asserted, “The complete elimination of red terror is certain before the upcoming March 31.”

Rising toll in 2025

With Thursday’s operation, the total number of Naxalites killed in Chhattisgarh this year has risen to 241, police records show. Of these, 212 were eliminated in Bastar division, 27 in Gariaband, and two in Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district of Durg division.

Earlier in January, 16 Maoists, including Chalpathi alias Jairam — also a Central Committee and Odisha State Committee member — were killed in the same Mainpur area of Gariaband.

Last year, security forces neutralised 219 Naxalites in separate encounters across the state, according to police data.