Indian troops kill four Maoists in Maharashtra
Mumbai: Indian troops killed four individuals, whom they claimed were Maoists, during an encounter in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district today.
According to Kashmir Media Service, police officials said the gunfight occurred near Kawande village, close to the Indravati River, during a joint operation carried out by Indian paramilitary and police forces. The operation was reportedly launched a day earlier following intelligence inputs about Maoist presence in the area.
The incident comes just two days after Indian forces killed 27 suspected Maoists, including Nambala Keshav Rao—alleged chief of the Communist Party of India (Maoist)—in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district.
With today’s killings, the number of suspected Maoists killed by Indian forces this year has risen to nearly 190. In 2024, Indian troops claimed to have killed 217 suspected Maoists.
However, local residents and families of the deceased have challenged the official narrative, asserting that the victims were civilians with no ties to the CPI (Maoist). Despite police claims that the slain individuals were “reward-carrying Maoists,” the families are demanding an independent investigation into the encounter.
Meanwhile, two suspected Maoists were killed in a gunfight with Indian forces in Latehar district of Jharkhand today, a police officer told PTI.
One of those killed was Pappu Lohra, the chief of the Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad, a splinter group of the Communist Party of India-Maoist. The second person who was killed was Prabhat Ghanju, who was allegedly an associate of Lohra.
An official was also hit by a bullet during the operation, media reported and has been shifted to Ranchi for treatment.
The gunfight took place during an operation carried out by the Central Reserve Police Force and the Jharkhand Police in a forest area under the Latehar Police Station limits.
A search operation was launched based on information about the presence of Lohra and his associates in the forest.
On Friday, four suspected Maoists were killed in a gunfight with Indian forces in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district along the Chhattisgarh border.
With this, nearly 190 suspected Maoists have been killed in gunfights with Indian forces’ personnel this year. In 2024, 217 suspected Maoists were killed by the Indian forces.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly voiced concerns over alleged extrajudicial killings in India’s anti-Maoist operations, particularly in tribal and forested regions.
