Security Forces Deal Heavy Blow to Maoist Command Structure
Anti-Maoist Campaign Narrows Insurgency to Saranda Forests
New Delhi/Ranchi: A well-coordinated joint operation by the the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)’s CoBRA Battalion and Jharkhand police in Hazaribagh district resulted in a significant tactical success with the elimination of three senior Maoist leaders, including Sahdev Soren, a Central Committee member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) who carried a reward of ₹1 crore. The encounter unfolded around 6 a.m.today in the Pantitri forests under the Gorhar Police Station limits, near the border of Bokaro and Giridih districts, resulting in a fierce firefight that saw the recovery of AK-47 rifles and live ammunition.
The firefight lasted for several hours, resulting in the deaths of Sahdev Soren, Raghunath Hembram alias Chanchal, a Special Area Committee member carrying a ₹25 lakh bounty, and Birsen Ganjhu alias Ramkhelawan, a zonal committee member with a ₹10 lakh bounty. Authorities recovered three AK-47 rifles along with 63 live rounds from the site.
Sahdev Soren’s Death Marks Turning Point in Jharkhand Insurgency
Sahdev alias Parvesh was a veteran Maoist organiser active since the 1990s, primarily operating in the Bokaro, Hazaribagh, and Giridih districts. His role in the Maoist movement was particularly significant: his leadership spanned over three decades with involvement in numerous high-profile attacks, including the 2007 Chilkari massacre in Giridih district, which claimed 20 lives, including that of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Babulal Marandi’s son and brother. He was also involved in orchestrating attacks that led to the killing of a dozen policemen and was associated with the looting of 183 rifles from security forces over the years. Soren was a highly strategic figure who helped coordinate insurgent activities across Bokaro, Giridih, and Hazaribagh districts and was known for his operational focus on reinforcing Maoist strongholds in these regions, establishing him as a key figure in the Maoist command structure.. Hembram and Ganjhu had long criminal records with numerous cases filed against them for their roles in regional insurgency operations.
This encounter follows an intensified anti-Maoist push in Jharkhand that has seen, on average, three encounters per month over the last eight months, culminating in the neutralisation of roughly 30 Maoists and three notorious criminals across different districts. The security personnel have, however, suffered casualties with five jawans martyred in these encounters. A recent notable related operation killed Mukhdeo Yadav, a sub-zonal commander of the banned Maoist splinter group Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC), in Palamu district. Authorities continue combing operations to track down any escaped militants from these encounters and disrupt remaining Maoist networks.
Jharkhand Police officials assert that with the death of Sahdev Soren and his associates, Maoist influence in previously volatile zones such as the Jamui-Parasnath hills and Jhumra Hills axis coming under Hazaribagh has effectively been dismantled. They confirm that the Saranda forest in West Singhbhum remains the only significant Maoist stronghold in the state, where a few senior cadres with high bounties continue to operate in hiding. The police have arrested over 225 left-wing extremists and seen the surrender of 20 others in the current year, underscoring the substantial gains made in curbing this insurgency.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah today remarked on the operation’s significance, noting the complete eradication of Naxalism in the Bokaro region and expressing optimism that India will soon be free from the Maoist menace altogether. The Ministry of Home Affairs emphasised the critical nature of this encounter as part of the wider counterinsurgency strategy involving intelligence-led strikes, integrated operations between central and state forces, and developmental measures aimed at rooting out the ideological appeal of the Maoist movement.
The Ministry of Home Affairs provided additional context, noting this removal of top leadership is one among several effective operations that have weakened the insurgency across Jharkhand, where approximately 30 militants have been neutralised in recent months.
The counterinsurgency operation that led to the neutralisation of Soren and two other senior cadres—Raghunath Hembram and Birsen Ganjhu—was based on precise intelligence input and executed with intense coordination between the Jharkhand Police and the CRPF’s specialised CoBRA Battalion.
Targeting top Maoist leaders like Soren involves a multi-dimensional approach that hinges on intelligence gathering, local informants, technological surveillance, and ground reconnaissance. Security forces rely on extensive networks to intercept communications, track movement patterns, and understand insurgent logistics before planning precision strikes. The usage of specialised units like CoBRA, trained for counter-guerrilla warfare in dense forest terrain, has proven critical in closing in on hardened Maoist cadres. These coordinated operations are part of a larger government strategy combining kinetic military action with community engagement and development schemes to undercut the socio-economic base of Maoist influence.
While this operation underscores growing government control over Maoist-affected areas, security challenges linger in districts such as Giridih, Gumla, Latehar, Lohardaga, and West Singhbhum, where sporadic violence and insurgent activities require sustained vigilance.
– global bihari bureau
