Early Thursday morning, deep inside the Saranda forest near Kumbadih village, gunfire broke the silence. Security forces clashed with a group hiding in the dense cover under Chotanagra police limits. At least fifteen Maoists lost their lives during the exchange. One of them carried a reward tag of one crore rupees set by authorities. His name – Patiram Manjhi, also known as Anal Da – had appeared on wanted lists for years. Another individual found dead had half that amount promised for capture. Decades-long evasion ended in dust and debris beneath teak trees. Confirmation came later through recovered IDs and local intelligence inputs. The operation marks a rare clear outcome in long-standing efforts against armed insurgency here.
From Jharkhand police HQ came word: among those dead is Anal Da, also known as Patiram Manjhi, top figure in the CPI (Maoist) Central Committee – a million rupees had been offered for him. Search teams pulled out fifteen bodies after the clash, plus guns, gear, and supplies the Maoists lived with daily.
“A huge quantity of arms and ammunition has also been recovered,” said a senior police officer.
Deep within the Saranda forests, troops moved quietly through thick cover during a routine sweep against rebel activity. Hidden attackers struck first without warning, breaking the silence with sudden shots. Soldiers responded at once, turning calm into chaos under the trees. Loud bursts echoed again and again between trunks, shaking leaves and nerves alike. People living close by froze in place, hearts racing as noise rolled across fields. Hours passed with no letup, only flashes and bangs feeding dread in open huts beyond the green wall.
Midway through the morning, gunfire echoed across the hills – DIG Anuranjan Kispotta verified the clash, though he held back full specifics until troops returned. Rough ground, thick jungle – that’s Saranda, a place rebels have used for decades as their base camp. Movement now is slow; soldiers block every path in, sweeping tree by tree because hidden bombs often wait under leaves or loose soil. Once the smoke clears, more will come out.
Now it’s just the dense Saranda woods where Maoists remain, say officials, after being pushed out elsewhere across Jharkhand. Spread through Kumdi, beneath Kiriburu’s watch, around 1,500 CRPF CoBRA troops press forward in the current push.
The Jharkhand police stated, “We have recovered the bodies of 15 Maoists, including their top leader Patiram Majhi alias Anal Da. A huge quantity of arms and ammunition has also been recovered. The encounter, which began at 6 am, is still ongoing.” The anti-Maoist operation, which began on Tuesday, escalated on Thursday morning when the exchange of fire started.
A message reached authorities about Anal Da hiding in Saranda woods, leading to action. Michael Raj S, who handles operations at the top police level, shared details with Press Trust of India. The move began after someone reported seeing him there alongside his group. From Pirtand in Giridih, he has links to Maoist actions going back to 1987. Officers had kept watch on his movements across several years before this break came along.
Early morning light touched the rooftops when Gyanendra Pratap Singh arrived in Chaibasa. As head of CRPF, he walked through the town center just after ten. His presence followed a quiet shift in movement across forest zones nearby. Though Maoist influence once stretched deep into central districts, now it flickers only in pockets like Kolhan. Saranda’s dense woods remain one such place where old patterns linger. Operations elsewhere – Buda Pahad, then later Chatra, Latehar – chipped away at reach gradually. The pullback grew clearer in Gumla, faded further still near Lohardaga. Even around Ranchi, signs thinned out. Parasnath saw fewer traces each season.
Babulal Marandi, leader of the opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly and former state BJP chief, described the killing of Maoists, including a leader with a Rs 1 crore bounty, as a major success against “red terror.” He praised the personnel involved, stating, “All the personnel involved in this operation have demonstrated indomitable courage, valor, and dedication to duty. Under the leadership of the Honorable Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji and the Union Home Minister Shri @AmitShah ji, the Central Government is steadfastly moving forward with the resolve to eradicate Naxalism from its roots by March 2026.”
By March 31, 2026, officials say Maoist activity must end – Union Home Minister Amit Shah has made that clear, more than once. In Jharkhand alone, since 2001, authorities have taken into custody above eleven thousand suspected Maoists. Around two hundred fifty lost their lives during clashes. Over three hundred fifty chose to lay down weapons instead. Weapons hauls by police disrupted supply lines, weakening rebel movements throughout the region. What remains is a steady push toward erasing armed insurgency completely.
Fresh clash deep inside Saranda woods shows how firmly troops are pressing forward against Maoist holdouts, pushing through thick forest to break up small cells still hiding there. Each patrol moves quietly, focused on cutting supply trails that snake between villages. This one unfolded at dawn when gunfire cracked through mist near a dried riverbed. Officers say signs point to shrinking rebel reach, though pockets resist fiercely when cornered. Weeks of tracking led here – following footprints, charred cooking spots, torn cloth caught on thorns.
Success now measured by disrupted meetings rather than big captures. Locals speak less of fear lately, more about blocked roads and delayed supplies. Troops rotate fast, avoiding patterns the guerrillas might predict. Not every mission ends loud; some leave only quiet radio signals blinking from hidden devices planted along jungle paths.
