Bhubaneswar: In a major blow to Maoist leadership, six Maoists, including senior Central Committee member Ganesh Uike, were killed in an encounter with the security forces in Odisha's Kandhamal district on Thursday.

CPI (Maoist) central committee member Uike, who carried a bounty of Rs 1.1 crore on his head, was the chief of the banned outfit in Odisha, a senior officer heading anti-Naxal operations in the state said. The gun-battle took place in a forest in Chakapad police station area, he said.

"Six Maoists were killed in the gunfight. One of them was identified as 69-year-old Ganesh Uike, who is also known by his aliases Pakka Hanumantu, Rajesh Tiwari, Chamru and Rupa. He was a native of Pullemala village under Chandur mandal in Telangana's Nalgonda district," he said. The identity of the other Naxals, including two women, was yet to be ascertained, the officer said.

Security officials said that Ganesh was part of the Maoist central committee and had been involved in planning and coordinating armed activities across multiple zones. His killing is being described by security agencies as a significant operational success against the Naxals’ top command structure. Security sources said he played a key role in coordinating Maoist organisational activities across Odisha, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh.

According to police, Ganesh was actively involved in strengthening the Maoist network by facilitating fresh recruitment into the armed wing of the Naxals.

He was allegedly linked to multiple incidents of violence across the three states and had managed to evade police and security forces for a prolonged period, making him a high-value target for counter-insurgency operations.