Security forces in a significant operation launched on Monday, July 8 managed to neutralise a notorious Maoist in insurgency-hit Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh (MP). The slain Maoist was carrying a whopping bounty of Rs 14 lakh on his head.
The operation was launched following the police received credible inputs of movements of Maoists for procuring ration and daily use materials near Kothiya Tola village under the Hatta police station limits of Balaghat district on July 8.
Upon receiving the information, an extensive search operation was launched by a team of Hawk force, a counter-insurgency unit of the MP police who soon got engaged in an exchange of fire upon reaching the location leading to the neutralization of one Maoist terrorist in the action.
The slain Maoist cadre has been identified as Sohan alias Ukas alias Ayatu, an Area Committee Member (ACM) of the Kanha-Bhoramdeo division of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist). He was reported to be an expert in IEDs.
A season cadre of the banned group, Sohan had joined the outlawed CPI Maoist in the year 2009 and was assigned with the task to assist notorious Maoist leader and former Central Committee (CC) member of the outlaws, Milind Teltumbde in the newly created Madhya Pradesh-Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh (MMC) zone in the year 2019.
#WATCH भोपाल, मध्य प्रदेश: नक्सल विरोधी अभियान ADG जयदीप प्रसाद ने बताया, "बालाघाट पुलिस और हॉक फोर्स ने सोहन उर्फ उकास के खिलाफ बड़ी सफलता हासिल की है, जिसपर 14 लाख का इनाम था, वह मुठभेड़ में मारा गया है। तलाशी अभियान जारी है… उसके पास से 315 बोर की राइफल और केनवुड वायरलेस… pic.twitter.com/mYBlTVX49X
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) July 8, 2024
According to the information shared by the MP police, Sohan was involved in various unlawful activities in the neighboring state of Chhattisgarh and a total of 8 cases have already pending against him in MP alone. He was a resident of Sukma district of Chhattisgarh.
Major operations in Maoist affected districts of MP
It is noteworthy that the MP police in recent years have tightened their grip in Mandala, Balaghat and Dindoli districts of the state, all marred by the Maoist insurgency and are adjacent to Chhattisgarh border.
The region falls under the MMC zone created by the Maoist top rung in the year 2019 with an aim to spread the footprints of the outlawed outfit along with establishing a safer bastion amidst strengthening position of the security forces in Bastar division of Chhattisgarh and adjoining areas such as Gadchiroli of Maharashtra.
The Maoist affected districts of the state in the past six months have witnessed a number of major operations leading to the neutralization of as many as 4 Maoists cadres carrying a cumulative bounty of Rs 71 lakhs on their head.
This includes a fierce encounter between the security forces and the Maoists that occurred in Pitkona Kerjhari forest area under the Lanji police station limits of Balaghat on April 2 in which two senior Maoists cadres carrying a cumulative bounty of Rs 43 lakhs were killed.
लांजी थाना क्षेत्र के पितकोना-केरझरी के जंगल में घात लगाकर बैठे थे नक्सली, हॉकफोर्स पर की अंधाधुंध फायरिंग, हाॅकफोर्स जवानों ने दिया मुंहतोड़ जवाब pic.twitter.com/SXxCZEcQ9X
— Madhya Pradesh Police (@MPPoliceDeptt) April 2, 2024
This follows the neutralisation of another hardcore Maoist cadre identified as Madkam Hidma alias Chaitu in December last year. Chaitu a resident of Mirtur area of Bijapur was carrying a bounty of Rs 14 lakh on his head.
Other than these operations, the security forces have also managed to arrest notorious Maoist and (Special Zonal Committee Member) SZCM, Ashok Reddy alias Baldev who was carrying a whopping bounty of Rs 82 lakh.
Significance of operations under MMC zone
It must be noted that the security forces in the last few months have started carrying out major operations in the Maoist’s stronghold of Abujhmaad or Maad region which has already exaggerated pressure on the outlaws which led to the rising speculations that the top cadres of the outlaws might opt to move towards safer places in the other pockets of MMC zone.
This comes after the security forces established a dozen of forward operating bases or security camps in the core Maoist zone of Narayanpur, Sukma, Bijapur and other Maoist affected pockets of Chhattisgarh in a strategic manner.
However continuous counter-insurgency operations from the forces in Maoist affected districts of MP has not only restricted the movements of the Maoists in that region where reports of movements of large groups of Maoists had emerged in 2022 but it will also exaggerate more pressure on the Maoists operating in the interstate borders of Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.
