It's one blow after another for Reds: Chief of banned CPI-maoist splinter bloc gunned down in Jharkhand

RANCHI/DALTONGANT: Pappu Lohra , chief of Maoist splinter outfit Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP), was shot dead on Saturday during a gunfight with cops in Latehar district 's Ichabar area along with his second-in-command Prabhat Ganjhu.

The duo's elimination comes amid an intensified crackdown on Maoists that led to the killing of CPI (Maoist) chief Nambala Keshava Rao, alias Basavaraju, on Wednesday along with 26 other rebels in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur.

"He (Pappu) was a former Maoist and had good tactical skills. The way he was neutralised shows that ultras have very little time and space left for themselves. With Pappu's death, the outfit has virtually collapsed," Sunil Bhaskar, IG (Palamu Range), said.

Police said a squad led by Pappu had gathered in Ichabar forests to plan attacks on local contractors and builders when they were surrounded. "Pappu was asked to surrender but he did not and was killed. He had three dozen criminal cases in various police stations," a police source said.

Pappu and Prabhat were residents of Latehar. SP Kumar Gaurav said Pappu carried a reward of Rs 10 lakh and Ganjhu Rs 5 lakh.

Ashish Kumar, another JJMP operative, was found injured at the site. He has been hospitalised in police custody. A cop, Awadh Singh, was also wounded in the encounter and has been admitted to a hospital in Ranchi, around 120km away.

Later in the day, junior Union defence minister Sanjay Seth met Awadh Singh in hospital. " Anti-Naxal operations are underway in different parts of the country. The menace is on the wane due to sustained efforts of our security forces," Seth said.

According to Jharkhand police, offensives have been stepped up against several breakaway rebel outfits. "Apart from Maoists, Jharkhand police are conducting intensive operations against splinter groups which include People Liberation Front of India (PLFI), Tiritya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC) and JJMP," IG (operations) Amol Homkar said.

PLFI supremo Dinesh Gope was arrested earlier in May 2023. TSPC chief Brajesh is inactive, while outfit's de-facto top gun Akraman Ganjhu was arrested in March, police sources pointed out.

Many in Jharkhand police viewed Pappu's elimination on Saturday as his comeuppance for the killing of Rajesh Kumar, a deputy commandant, in an encounter with a squad led by the JJMP chief in Latehar in 2021.