Major Setback for Maoist Insurgency: Key Leaders Neutralized by Security Forces

In a critical blow to the insurgency, three senior Maoist leaders, including Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC) Secretary Uday and East Division Secretary Aruna, were confirmed killed by security forces in Alluri Sitharama Raju district, Alluri Sitharama Raju District SP reported. The operation unfolded along the tense Andhra-Odisha Border.

The Alluri Sitharama Raju District SP described the clash, explaining, "Security forces neutralized top Maoist figures, AOBSZC Secretary Uday and East Division Secretary Aruna, along with another cadre, in an intense operation." Simultaneously, in a coordinated anti-Naxal initiative, police in the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh region eliminated four hardcore Maoists after a heated exchange of gunfire on Friday morning, driven by actionable intelligence.

Directed by Additional SP Ramesh, the operation deployed 12 C60 commando teams with 300 personnel, reinforced by a CRPF unit. Initiating at noon from Kawande and Nelgunda despite adverse weather, teams advanced toward Indravati riverbank, launching from the newly established Forward Operating Base Kawande. Maoist gunfire prompted a robust counterattack from the commandos.

The clash, lasting nearly two hours, culminated in the discovery of four Maoist corpses, an automatic Self Loading Rifle, two .303 rifles, and Bharmar. Confiscated items included communication equipment, camping materials, and propaganda. Operations to dismantle remaining Maoist elements persist.

In a parallel development, security operations dealt a significant setback in Chhattisgarh, with the elimination of 27 Naxals, among them CPI-Maoist General Secretary Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju, during an extensive joint campaign in the Abujmarh forests of Narayanpur district.

(With inputs from agencies.)