Naxal commander carrying Rs 30 lakh bounty gunned down in Varanasi encounter
A high-ranking Naxal commander, Brijesh Ganjhu, was killed in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad near Varanasi. The operation involved a significant bounty and resulted in no casualties for the police force.
Why it matters
This represents a major tactical success for Indian security forces in their ongoing efforts to curb Naxalite insurgency.
A Naxal commander carrying a bounty of Rs 30 lakh was killed during an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and police near Varanasi on Sunday, officials said.The victim was identified as Brijesh Ganjhu alias Gopal Singh Bhokta, a resident of Jharkhand's Chatra district and commander of the Third Presentation Committee (TPC). The TPC is the splinter group that emerged from the CPI (Maoist) in Jharkhand.According to police, the encounter occurred near Lanka Maidan in Ramnagar, which is adjacent to Varanasi. Ganjhu was travelling towards Mughalsarai when a police team attempted to stop him.Police said Ganjhu opened fire at the team, following which an exchange of fire broke out.
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