In Jharkhand, 15 Maoists were killed in an anti-Naxal operation in the Saranda forest of West Singhbhum district following an encounter with CPI (Maoist) insurgents today. Security forces achieved a major success in the anti-Naxal operation in the Saranda forest of Chaibasa under the joint leadership of the Jharkhand DGP and the CRPF Director General. The special “Medhaburu” operation was carried out by joint teams of 209 CoBRA, Jharkhand Jaguar, CRPF and district police in the Kiriburu police station area. Multiple encounters took place from around 6:30 a.m. with the armed squad of top Maoist Anil alias Patiram Manjhi, during which heavy firing was reported.

So far, the bodies of 15 Naxalites have been recovered, and 11 of the deceased have been identified. Along with that, a large cache of weapons and daily-use materials has been recovered. Those killed include Central Committee Member Anil alias Patiram Manjhi, who carried rewards of ₹1 crore in Jharkhand and ₹1.20 crore in Odisha, along with several senior Maoist leaders. Jharkhand Police has appealed to the remaining extremists to surrender under the state’s Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy, while search operations are still underway.