Top Maoist Commander killed in encounter in Jharkhand’s Latehar; Key Bihar link severed

In a major setback to the CPI (Maoist) insurgency in Jharkhand, a top Naxalite commander carrying a bounty of Rs 5 lakh on his head was killed in a joint security operation in Latehar district. The slain Naxalite, identified as Manish Yadav from Bihar’s Gaya district, had been an active operative in the Maoist stronghold of Budha Pahad for over a decade.

The encounter occurred in the dense forests between Karamkhar and Dhowna villages under the Mahuadanr police station limits, starting late Sunday night and continuing into Monday morning. Acting on specific intelligence, a coordinated operation by CRPF’s CoBRA unit, Jharkhand Jaguar, and the district police led to an intense exchange of fire, killing Yadav and leading to the arrest of another key figure, area commander Kundan Kherwar, who carried a Rs 10 lakh bounty on his head.

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Two X-95 Israeli assault rifles were recovered from the site, along with other arms and ammunition.

Manish Yadav, a known hardliner in Maoist ranks, had been active for nearly two decades and played a key role in cross-border coordination between Maoist units in Bihar and Jharkhand. He once served as the personal bodyguard of senior Maoist politburo member Dev Kumar Singh alias Arvind, who carried a Rs 1 crore bounty before being eliminated in a similar encounter.

According to police sources, Yadav was involved in over 50 armed operations, including the infamous Katia encounter in Latehar — where 13 security personnel were killed and IEDs were planted inside the bodies of slain CRPF jawans — and the Polpol attack in Garhwa that claimed six lives.

“Yadav was among the last remaining links of the Bihar-led command structure in Jharkhand. His death marks the symbolic end of an era,” said Palamu Range DIG Y S Ramesh. He added that recent offensives have significantly disrupted Maoist operational networks across the tri-junction of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh.

Significantly, this encounter comes just two days after the killing of Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJM) supremo Pappu Lohra and another Maoist commander, Prabhat Ganjhu, in a separate operation in Latehar, indicating a renewed and sustained offensive by security forces in the region.

Yadav’s operational base spanned both sides of the Jharkhand–Bihar border, particularly connecting Budha Pahad in Latehar with Chakarbandha in Gaya. His familial and marital ties in the area reportedly helped him navigate the terrain and maintain local logistical support.

Just two days prior, Latehar police had gunned down Pappu Lohra, the Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP) chief, and sub-zonal commander Prabhat Ganjhu in an encounter. Now, within 48 hours, another notorious Naxalite has been neutralised in a similar operation.