Paka Hanumanthu, top Maoist leader from Nalgonda, shot dead in Odisha encounter: officials
Paka Hanumanthu and another male Maoist and two female cadres of the CPI (Maoist) were killed in the encounter in Odisha’s Kandhamal district, officials said.
Top Maoist leader Paka Hanumanthu, alias Ganesh alias Chamru, and five other Maoists were killed in an encounter in Odisha in the early hours of Thursday, a development the Centre hailed as a significant breakthrough.
Ganesh, 67, from Telangana’s Nalgonda district, was a Central Committee member of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist), a member of the Central Regional Bureau, and the only member of the Southern Regional Bureau. He carried a reward of Rs 1 crore and went by several aliases, including Rupa, Rajesh Tiwari, Chamru, Pakka Hanumantu, Ganeshanna and Somar.
Those killed alongside him are yet to be identified.
In a statement, the Union Home Ministry called the development a “significant milestone towards Naxal-free Bharat”. “With this major breakthrough, Odisha stands at the threshold of becoming completely free from Naxalism. We are resolved to eliminate Naxalism before March 31, 2026,” the statement said.
The March 31 deadline has been set by Home Minister Amit Shah and reiterated on several occasions.
Odisha Director General of Police Y B Khurania called the development a “major breakthrough” for the security forces in the state.
According to officials, the exchange of fire followed a tip-off after security forces intercepted a Maoist team. Twenty Special Operations Group (SOG) teams, two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) teams and one Border Security Force (BSF) team were deployed in the Chakapad police station area of Odisha’s Kandhamal district and the Rambha forest range in the bordering areas of Ganjam district, with exchange of fire at multiple locations. Two INSAS rifles were seized from the site, officials said.
Ganesh was considered among the few remaining senior Maoist leaders from the Telugu states, with most others either killed in encounters or having surrendered.
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A B.Sc dropout, he joined the Maoist movement at a young age and, according to sources, had never interacted with his family in Pullemla village in Chandur mandal of Nalgonda district. He is believed to have led several high-profile attacks on security forces in the Sukma region, including the May 2013 Jhirham Ghati attack on a convoy of Congress leaders that killed 32 people, including former Chhattisgarh minister Mahendra Karma, state Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel and former Union minister Vidya Charan Shukla.
As a young student and member of the Radical Students Union (RSU) in Nalgonda, he was suspected of involvement in the March 1981 murder of ABVP leader Achuri Srinivas, who opposed Maoist ideology and was allegedly killed by a group of RSU members.
Over the years, he held several positions in the banned outfit, from city organiser in Jagdalpur (1988–1998) and secretary of the West Bastar Divisional Committee (1998–2006) to member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (post-2006). A total of 16 criminal cases were registered against him in Sukma and Bijapur districts of Chhattisgarh.
He was particularly active in the Chhattisgarh border area. Officials believe a small group of Maoist cadres led by him was moving through Kandhamal, likely on their way to Andhra Pradesh, at the time of the encounter.
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Ganesh’s AK-47 rifle was recovered from the encounter site in Kandhamal district, sources said.
Another senior Telugu Maoist leader, Thippiri Tirupathi alias Devuji, also from Telangana and the general secretary of the banned CPI (Maoist), remains on the run, with security forces in Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh trying to locate him.
The Odisha DGP said the operation is still ongoing in the Rambha forest range, an area historically used as a corridor for Maoist movement, regrouping and logistical support, while senior officials are camping to monitor the operations.
Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance.
Expertise and Experience
Regional Specialization: Based in Hyderabad, Sreenivas has spent more than 20 years documenting the evolution of the Telugu-speaking states. His reporting was foundational during the historic Telangana statehood movement and continues to track the post-bifurcation development of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Key Coverage Beats: His extensive portfolio covers a vast spectrum of critical issues:
High-Stakes Politics: Comprehensive tracking of regional powerhouses (BRS, TDP, YSRCP, and Congress), electoral shifts, and the political careers of figures like K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, and Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Internal Security & Conflict: Authoritative reporting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the decline of the Maoist movement in former hotbeds, and intelligence-led investigations into regional security modules.
Governance & Infrastructure: Detailed analysis of massive irrigation projects (like Kaleshwaram and Polavaram), capital city developments (Amaravati), and the implementation of state welfare schemes.
Crisis & Health Reporting: Led the publication's ground-level coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in South India and major industrial incidents, such as the Vizag gas leak.
Analytical Depth: Beyond daily news, Sreenivas is known for his "Explained" pieces that demystify complex regional disputes, such as river water sharing and judicial allocations between the sister states. ... Read More
