Top Maoist leaders Pappu Lohara & Prabhat Ganghu killed in Jharkhand, days after Basavaraju encounter
The JJMP is a splinter group of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).
New Delhi: Jharkhand security forces carried out a major anti-Maoist operation and killed Pappu Lohara, the Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP) supremo who carried a Rs 10 lakh bounty on his head, in a shootout Saturday. His second-in-command Prabhat Ganjhu, who carried a Rs five lakh bounty, was also killed in the operation.
The Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad was formed around 2010 after a fallout between some members of the CPI(Maoist) Jharkhand unit and the CPI(Maoist) leadership.
Pappu Lohara was a key figure in the region's insurgents' network. He was wanted in connection with 60 to 70 criminal cases, including extortion, murder, and attacks on security personnel, according to security forces.
Earlier on Wednesday, in Chhattisgarh's Abujhmad, CPI (Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju and 26 other cadres were killed in a 72-hour operation.
A significant blow
According to security forces, the Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad has been active in the region and engaged in various unlawful activities. The operation that left its top leaders dead is being seen as a significant blow to the outfit's operations in the state.
Security forces, including the Jharkhand Police and paramilitary units, have intensified operations in the region as part of the state's ongoing efforts to combat Maoist insurgency.
The superintendent of police in Latehar had reportedly been getting regular intelligence that Pappu Lohara, also known as Suryadev Lohara or Somed Lohara, along with his armed squad, was moving around in the Latehar police station area.
Then came a tip-off that Pappu Lohara and his squad were hiding in the Ichabar forest, planning a major attack. After that, the superintendent of police formed a special raid team led by sub-inspector Ravindra Mahali from the Latehar police station.
When the police began surveying the forest, they noticed a group of people. As soon as the suspects realised the police were nearby, they allegedly opened fire.
'The police team fired back to defend themselves and protect their weapons. The gunfight lasted for about 30 minutes, after which the extremists ran away into the dense forest,' read a press release on the encounter.
After the firing stopped, the police began a search operation and found the bodies of Pappu Lohara and Prabhat Ganjhu. The team also recovered an AK-56 rifle, two 303 rifles, two semi-automatic rifles, three country-made pistols, 405 cartridges, and six walkie-talkies.
Series of crimes
An encounter took place between Lohara and Jharkhand Jaguar forces in the Bokakhand–Orvai Basti area in Latehar in July 2024. During the gunfight, sub-inspector Nagendra Pandey and constable Ramsingh Surin received gunshot injuries in their legs. Later, police recovered three country-made 'Bharthua' guns. Ganjhu was also involved in the shootout, say police. JJMP, led by Lohara, has carried out several violent attacks targeting civilians and infrastructure in Latehar, they add.
On 12 March 2021, a man was shot dead in Bingada village near Baraini. Earlier, on 7 December 2018, JJMP allegedly killed a clerk working on a bridge project between Manika and Kumandi.
Acts of sabotage and destruction include the 11 July 2019 arson attack on heavy construction vehicles at Tori railway coal siding. The fire damaged government property and disrupted infrastructure projects, say officers.
JJMP allegedly also killed a Sukri villager with a sharp weapon before dumping his body on the roadside on 18 May 2020. Two months later, the group was accused of abducting a Murgidih villager from his home, taking him to the forest, and killing him. On 17 November 2020, JJMP members allegedly shot at two more villagers in Nawadih forest, leading to the death of one of them.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
Also Read: Amid Centre-state tussle, legal suspense over Jharkhand DGP's post retirement tenure
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
26 minutes ago
- Mint
Raghuram Rajan reacts to Donald Trump's 50% tariffs on India: ‘It's hard to negotiate with a gun to your head…'
Renowned economist Raghuram Rajan has called out United States President Donald Trump's 'pressure tactics' in imposing 50 per cent tariffs on India and Brazil, in an interview with Brazilian economic and financial publication, Valor. Speaking on Donald Trump's apparent 'shift in mood' against India, Raghuram Rajan said that while trade with Russia could be 'reconsidered', its is 'hard to negotiate with a gun to your head', and that this seems like an 'exercise in power' from the US. Donald Trump last week said the US would impose 50 per cent tariffs on India as 'punishment' for buying oil from Russia. He has in the past also criticised India and Brazil for being part of what he dubbed 'anti-American' BRICS bloc. Brazil has also been slapped with similar 50 per cent duties. According to the professor of finance at the University of Chicago, former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor, and a former International Monetary Fund (IMF), chief economist, the time for a joint global response to US tariffs has 'past'. 'It's hard to negotiate with a gun to your head. And that's basically what's happening right now. I hope sanity will prevail in US relations with India,' he said. The public, threatening aspect has made negotiations difficult, according to Raghuram Rajan. 'Lowering tariffs can help our economy. But again, it's hard to negotiate with a gun to your head. I hope that tempers cool and talks resume, because a 50 per cent tariff is unsustainable—not just for India, but also for the US, which risks alienating a country it hopes will be a strategic partner. People remember these things for a long time, and turning them away is rarely smart geopolitics,' he cautioned. Raghuram Rajan noted that India may have expected trade talks to extend till October-November, and so held firm on some areas while negotiating. 'But that's not how it's worked for countries that have already reached agreements. This isn't about a balanced trade deal; it's an exercise of power.' He added that India could give in on trade with Russia, since current prices are not much different across markets. 'If Russian oil were cut off entirely, prices would rise, but India could handle that. The bigger issue is political: an overt public decision to stop buying from Russia would be seen domestically as bowing to US pressure, which plays badly in any democracy. If Washington had quietly asked India to phase out Russian oil, it might have been acceptable,' he added. On the impact of the tariffs, Raghuram Rajan noted that $80 billion of Indian exports to the US would become 'unviable', and in return some $40 billion of US imports into India, including Apple products, could 'hurt America to some degree'. On Donald Trump's opposition to BRICS, Raguram Rajan noted that as a group of emerging economies, the interests of BRICS nations has 'diverged over time'. He added, 'India is not anti-US, and neither is Brazil in its current government. Being pulled into a bloc seen as anti-American is problematic for both.' 'If tariffs stabilise, even at high levels, the world will adapt. It won't be as efficient as the low-tariff era, but supply chains will adjust over time. The bigger problem is volatility. If today it's 50 per cent tariffs on one set of countries and tomorrow another, uncertainty will keep disrupting trade and investment. Stability is essential, and that's what's in the shortest supply right now,' he added. 'It would have been useful to form a broad coalition early on, before individual countries struck their own deals with Washington. That would have increased bargaining power. But now, with Japan, the EU, and the UK satisfied with their arrangements, it's harder—especially if China is excluded, since both Beijing and Washington may prefer separate dealings,' according to Raghuram Rajan. 'It's good for Brazil and India to talk about boosting trade and investment, but a united global front is probably too late at this stage. Still, maintaining dialogue is important, because this may not be the last disruption—more could come if the U.S. administration targets other countries,' he added.
New Indian Express
26 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Union Cabinet approves Phase-IB of Lucknow Metro project; 4 chip plants in Odisha, Punjab, AP
The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved several projects, including four semiconductor plants for Odisha, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh, the Phase-IB of the Lucknow Metro project and a 700 MW Tato-II hydro-electric project in Arunachal Pradesh. The Cabinet meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Under the India Semiconductor Mission, which has an outlay of Rs 76,000 crore to provide financial support for setting up chip facilities in the country, the government has approved four semiconductor projects entailing Rs 4,594 crore investment in the three states. According to Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, a silicon carbide semiconductor plant will be set up in Bhubaneswar with an investment of Rs 2,066 crore by SiCsem Pvt Ltd. Another plant in the state will be set up for 3D Glass manufacturing with an investment of Rs 1,943 crore. The minister said that the 3D Glass semiconductor plant will be backed by investment from leading US technology firm Intel, Lockheed Martin, etc. The Cabinet approved a chip packaging plant in Andhra Pradesh, which will be set up by Advanced System in Package Technologies Pvt Ltd with an investment of Rs 468 crore. A semiconductor project of electronic component maker firm CDIL, to be set up in Punjab with an investment of Rs 117 crore, has been approved, the minister stated. Phase-IB of Lucknow Metro project The government also approved the Phase-IB of the Lucknow Metro project with a corridor length of 11.165 km at a cost of Rs 5,801 crore.
Time of India
30 minutes ago
- Time of India
How Delhi Police nabbed nearly 100 narco offenders in one night during raids at nearly 800 locations
Cases and arrests under various laws Live Events Operation Kavach (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Delhi Police conducted Operation Kavach 9 .0 on the night of August 9-10 to tackle narcotics and organised crime in the city. The simultaneous raids were held at 794 locations across 15 districts. The crackdown resulted in 92 arrests of narco offenders and the seizure of a large amount of drugs and cash, a TOI report seized 307 grams of heroin, 33.165 kg of ganja, 67 grams of hybrid ganja, 610 grams of charas, 22.25 grams of MDMA, 2.26 grams of LSD, and Rs 12.2 lakh in cash during the operation. The raids involved 360 teams from police stations, the crime branch, and the special cell, acting under police commissioner SBK Singh's directive to target drug sales on city commissioner Devesh Srivastava said police registered 275 cases under the Delhi Excise Act and arrested 279 people. Additionally, 75 individuals were arrested under Section 126/170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. Police also detained 12,834 people under Section 65 of the Delhi Police Act as a preventive operation saw the seizure of 50,060 quarters of illicit liquor. A total of 1,183 people were arrested under the Delhi Excise Act for preventive reasons. Srivastava described the operation as "a significant step in Delhi Police's efforts to combat the drug trade and save the city's youth from the menace of narcotics."Preventive actions and other prosecutionsOfficials said 1,858 people were taken into preventive custody during the raids, and the police checked the whereabouts of 227 known criminals. Police prosecuted 2,968 violators under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act for selling tobacco products near commissioner (crime) Surendra Kumar said, "A total of 1,685 vehicles were seized under the Delhi Police Act. The operation demonstrated Delhi Police's commitment to taking stringent action against those involved in the trade and to creating a safer and healthier environment for the city's residents."Operation Kavach began in May 2023 as part of Delhi Police's continuous efforts to fight narcotics in the city. The operation focuses on identifying and arresting both street-level drug peddlers and higher-level traffickers. Police have adopted a top-to-bottom and bottom-to-top approach to dismantle drug networks and trace their July 31, police arrested 1,784 narco offenders in 1,425 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. During this period, they recovered about 45 kg of heroin/smack, 3,770 kg of ganja, 250 kg of opium, 33 kg of charas, 19 kg of poppy heads, and 3 kg of cocaine.
