A member of the banned CPI (Maoist) was killed in a gunfight with security forces in West Singhbhum district on Wednesday morning, police said. The encounter took place during a search operation in the Dugunia, Posaita and Tumbagara areas under Goilkera Police Station limits around 6 am, when members of the outfit “opened fire at the security forces,” a senior officer said.
“An exchange of fire took place between Maoists and security forces in which a member of the CPI (Maoist) was killed,” Kolhan IGP Manoj Kaushik said. A rifle, cartridges and other items were recovered from the spot, he added.
Security Forces Act on Intelligence of Possible Maoist Attack
According to police, West Singhbhum district authorities received intelligence on Tuesday indicating that top CPI (Maoist) leaders had gathered in the Kolhan area to carry out a major incident on Independence Day.
“Based on the inputs, a joint team was formed that launched a search operation in Dugunia, Posaita and Tumbagara areas. Upon seeing the security forces, the Maoists opened fire. The personnel retaliated in self-defense, in which the Maoist was killed,” an official release stated.
Earlier on, August 6, Martin Kerketta, the de-facto chief of the People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI), a splinter Maoist outfit, was killed in a police encounter in the Changabari forest under Kamdara police station limits in Gumla district, the police confirmed on Tuesday.
According to Gumla Superintendent of Police (SP) Haris Bin Zaman, the slain militant has been identified as Martin Kerketta, who was heading the PLFI after its former chief, Dinesh Gope, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) from Nepal in 2023. Kerketta had a bounty of ₹15 lakh on his head.
