Raipur, Sep 28: In a major breakthrough for security forces, top Maoist commander Shravan Madkam, alias Vishwanath a.k.a. Budhram Punem, was killed in an on-going encounter between Maoists and police forces in the Tiarpani forests of Chhattisgarh's Kanker district.

The operation, which began on Sunday, is being jointly conducted by the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Border Security Force (BSF) personnel.

Superintendent of Police Indira Kalyan Elisela confirmed the death of Shravan, who served as the Secretary of the Sitanadi-Ravas Coordination Area Committee.

Alongside him, two other Maoists — Rajesh alias Rakesh Hemla, commander of the Nagari Area Committee/Gobra LOS, and Basanti Kunjam alias Hidmen PM, a member of the Mainpur-Nuapada Coordination Protection Team — were also neutralised.

The encounter unfolded in the hilly forest terrain near Chhindkharak village under the Kanker police station area, close to the Dhamtari-Odisha border.

A subsequent search operation led to the recovery of the bodies of two male and one female Maoist, along with a cache of weapons including an SLR, a .303 rifle, a 12-bore rifle, and other Maoist materials.

The three deceased Maoists carried a combined bounty of Rs 14 lakh. Shravan alone had a reward of Rs 8 lakh on his head, followed by Rs 5 lakh for Rajesh and Rs 1 lakh for Basanti.

Elisela said that the joint team launched the operation based on intelligence inputs about Maoists’ movement in the central forest region of Kanker.

The encounter is still underway, with security forces continuing their combing operations in the dense forest area.

This development marks a significant blow to Maoist operations in the region, especially with the elimination of Shravan, a high-ranking figure in the Sitanadi Area Committee.

Authorities believe the operation will disrupt coordination among Maoist factions operating along the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border. Security has been tightened in surrounding districts, and further reinforcements have been deployed to ensure complete area sanitisation.

The police have reiterated their commitment to eliminating Maoist influence and restoring peace in the affected regions.

(IANS)

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