Odisha Police and security forces have killed Ganesh Uike, Central Committee member of CPI (Maoist) and the chief commander of Maoist activities in Odisha, in a major operation on Christmas Day. There was a reward of Rs 1.1 crore on 69 year old Ganesh Uike. A total of four Maoists were killed in this encounter, including two women cadres.
SOG, CRPF and BSF together did an encounter
Akhileshwar Singh, DIG of Naxal operations of Orissa Police, said, ‘Joint teams of Orissa’s special forces SOG, CRPF and BSF carried out the operation. Ganesh Uike’s encounter took place in the Rampa forest located on the border of Kandhamal district and Ganjam district of Orissa.
On the basis of intelligence received from the Special Intelligence Wing, the security forces had started a joint operation. Seeing the soldiers in the forest, the Naxalites started firing, to which the soldiers gave a befitting reply. Four Naxalites were killed after a heavy encounter. Two INSAS rifles and one .303 rifle were recovered from the encounter site.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also tweeted on Ganesh Uike’s encounter. He wrote, ‘With the death of Ganesh Uike, Odisha Naxalism is on the verge of complete extinction. We will eliminate Naxalism before March 31, 2026.
A significant milestone towards Naxal-free Bharat.
In a major operation in Kandhmal, Odisha, 6 Naxalites, including Central Committee Member Ganesh Uike, have been neutralized so far.
With this major breakthrough, Odisha stands at the threshold of becoming completely free from…
— Home Minister’s Office, HMO India (@HMOIndia) December 25, 2025
Ganesh was searched in 7 states
Ganesh Uike was active in Odisha for a long time and was playing an important role in the Maoist organization. Ganesh was given the responsibility of Odisha state. He was active in Odisha as well as Chhattisgarh. According to reports, Ganesh Uike was in-charge of South Sub Zonal, who was being searched in about 7 states. Now Ganesh Uike was killed in an encounter.
Big blow to Maoists
Senior police officers called it a big blow to Maoist activities in Odisha. The central government has set a target to eliminate left-wing extremism from the entire country by March 2026. Under this aim, operations have been intensified in Odisha. Police said that combing operation is going on in the forest, so that the remaining cadres can be found.
