Bhubaneswar: In a major breakthrough against Maoist insurgency, security forces have killed at least 10 naxals, including Odisha State Committee head of the CPI Maoist and top Maoist commander Modem Balakrishna alias Bhaskar, in a fierce encounter in Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband district.
According to police sources, the encounter occurred in the dense forests of Gariaband, where security forces engaged in a confrontation with the Maoist group. Inspector General of Police, Raipur Range, Amresh Mishra, confirmed the encounter, stating that intermittent gunfire was exchanged between the two sides.
Modem Balakrishna is known by many names, including Manoj, Bhaskar, Balanna, Ramachandra. Balakrishna, a resident of Telangana, was associated with the Maoist organisation for about three decades.
He was a member of the Central Committee and the Central Regional Bureau. He was the head of the Odisha State Committee. He was active on the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border. He was carrying a reward of more than Rs 1 crore on his head. He was active in Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Boudh, Nayagarh areas in Odisha.
The operation was part of an anti-Naxal initiative in the region, and the security forces successfully locked down the Maoist group in the forest Gariaband. The toll is expected to rise as the encounter is still underway.
