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Three cadres of the banned outfit Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP) were allegedly killed in an encounter with security forces in a forested area under Bishunpur police station limits in Gumla district, the police said Wednesday morning.
Security personnel recovered three weapons from the spot, including an AK-47 rifle, a Self-Loading Rifle (SLR), and an INSAS rifle. The JJMP is a splinter group of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).
The deceased have been identified as Lalu Lohra of Basartoli village in Lohardaga district, Chhotu Oraon alias Satendra Oraon of Hosir village in Latehar, and Sujit Oraon of Rored village in Lohardaga.
The gunfight broke out at around 8 am when a joint team of the Jharkhand Jaguar special task force and the Gumla police was conducting an operation in the region.
Confirming the three killings, Michael Raj, Inspector General (Operations), said, “Our soldiers have gunned down three members of the JJMP. However, they were not carrying any bounty on their heads. It is a good success.”
However, according to a source, Lalu Lohra and Chhotu Oraon were sub-zonal commanders of the JJMP, while Sujit Oraon worked as a cadre.
Gumla police said the encounter was a part of a series of operations in recent months that have weakened extremist outfits in the state. Earlier this year, JJMP supremo Pappu Lohra and sub-zonal commander Prabhat Ganjhu were killed in Latehar. In July, sub-zonal commander Dilip Lohra and two associates were neutralised. In August, People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI) chief Martin Kerketta, carrying a reward of Rs 15 lakh, was shot dead in Gumla.
Security forces also arrested Maoist area commander Praveen Ekka and his aide in July, while nine JJMP leaders, including zonal commander Ravindra Yadav, surrendered in Latehar in September.
With the latest operation, police figures show that in the past few months, a total of nine extremists have been killed in encounters, three arrested, and nine have surrendered across Jharkhand. The police claimed that the JJMP has been nearly wiped out, with only two to three members of the outfit remaining at large, and they are expected to be arrested soon.
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