New Delhi: A joint team of Special Task Force (STF) and police in Bihar gunned down a Naxalite in an encounter in Begusarai district, police said on January 1. The gunfight broke out near Bahiyar under the jurisdiction of Teghada police station of Begusarai on Wednesday evening and resulted in neutralisation of Dayanand Malakar aka Kulbir aka Chotu.
The operation was launched after the police received a tip-off about Maoists led by Malakar planning to carry out an incident along extorting levy in the region. A joint team was then dispatched to the location on the basis of the intel received. Upon reaching the locality, the Naxalites started indiscriminate fire on the personnel to which the latter retaliated strongly.
Malakar, a seasoned Maoists carrying a bounty of Rs 50,000 sustained critical bullet injuries in the gunfight. He was subsequently taken to the hospital and declared brought dead. Malakar was said to be the secretary of Maoist’s North Bihar Madhya Zonal Committee. He was active in the banned outfit for over two decades and facing more than 20 cases involving serious crimes in multiple districts.
The security team following the gunfight recovered an INSAS rifle, a country-made carbine and pistol and live cartridges from the spot. Two associates of Malakar was also arrested by the team during the operation.
Police in Bihar has amped up operations against Maoists. In a related development, a joint team of STF and police arrested a wanted Maoist from Imamganj of Gaya Ji district. The arrested Naxalites was identified as Vinod Mahto, a resident of Gaya Ji.
Notably, 3 hardcore Maoists had also surrender before police in Bihar’s Munger district on December 28. The surrendered Naxalites were identified as Narayan Koda, Bahadur Koda, both Sub-Zonal commander, carrying a reward of Rs 3 lakh each and Vinod Koda.
The group also surrendered weapons, including two Insas rifles, 4 Semi-loading rifle (SLR), 10 walkie-talkies and around 500 live rounds. Maoist-insurgency has reduced to only a few limited pockets in Bihar, marking a major turnaround, as multiple districts of the state were once badly affected by red terror. The Union Government has announced to eliminate red terror from Bharat by March 2026.
