Chhattisgarh: Top Naxal commander Sudhakar killed in encounter, carried Rs 1 crore bounty - The Statesman

The encounter occurred during a 50-hour long intelligence led operation, launched on June 5, based on specific inputs about the movement of top Maoist operatives in the region.

The security forces in Chhattisgarh achieved a significant breakthrough in anti Maoist operations on Thursday by eliminating senior CPI (Maoist) leader and Central Committee Member (CCM)

Sudhakar alias Gautam during a fierce gunbattle in the National Park area of Bijapur district. Sudhakar, a veteran insurgent commander and ideologue, carried a bounty of over Rs 1 crore

declared by multiple states.

The encounter occurred during a 50-hour long intelligence led operation, launched on June 5, based on specific inputs about the movement of top Maoist operatives in the region. A joint team

of District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF), and CoBRA commandos engaged in a heavy exchange of fire with Maoist cadres. An AK-47 rifle, arms, explosives, and other materials

were recovered from the encounter site.

Confirming the operation, IG Bastar Range P. Sundarraj said, “This operation marks a major success in our ongoing campaign against Left-Wing Extremism. Sudhakar was not only a senior

operational commander but also in charge of the Maoist ideological school RePOS (Revolutionary Political School), responsible for radicalising youth and orchestrating violence across

multiple states.”

Sudhakar, aged 67, hailed from Pragadavaram village in West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, and was listed as a most-wanted figure in Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. In

Chhattisgarh alone, he carried a declared reward of ₹40 lakh, with additional bounties from other states under verification.

Sudhakar is believed to have been accompanied by other senior operatives including Telangana State Committee Member Bandi Prakash and Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee Member Pappa Rao,

although official confirmation regarding them is awaited. The recovered body and arms suggest a significant Maoist presence at the site, which continues to be searched by forces.

This is the second major success against Maoist leadership in recent weeks. On May 21, 2025, security forces neutralized Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju, General Secretary of the CPI

(Maoist), also in Bastar region. Together, the deaths of Basavaraju and Sudhakar represent a major dismantling of the Maoist top command structure in central India.

According to official records, 186 Maoists have been killed in the Bastar range in 2025 alone, and over 403 since the beginning of 2024. These operations underscore the growing pressure on

the outlawed CPI (Maoist), particularly in the Dandakaranya region.