Two Senior Maoists With ₹35 Lakh Bounty Killed in Chhattisgarh Operation
Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki (Chhattisgarh), August 13, 2025 — In a major breakthrough in the state’s anti-Maoist campaign, security forces on Wednesday shot dead two senior Maoist leaders — Vijay Reddy and Lokesh Salame — during an encounter in the Banda Pahad area near the Maharashtra border.
According to District Superintendent of Police Y.P. Singh, Reddy was a prominent member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee and carried a bounty of ₹25 lakh. Salame, a divisional committee member, had a ₹10 lakh reward on his head.
“Reddy was actively involved in Maoist activities in the Rajnandgaon-Kanker Border (RKB) division and also had rewards announced by neighbouring states, including Maharashtra. We are verifying the details,” Singh told TheTrendingPeople.com.
The Operation
Police said the joint offensive began on Tuesday, August 12, when the District Reserve Guard (DRG) launched a search mission based on intelligence inputs about Maoist presence in the Banda Pahad hill region, under the jurisdiction of Madanwada police station.
The encounter broke out on Wednesday morning, with heavy gunfire exchanged between security forces and armed Maoists. The site is strategically significant as it lies near the tri-junction of Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region, Kanker district, and Maharashtra.
Both Reddy and Salame were killed in the exchange, while the remaining Maoists reportedly fled into the dense forests.
Why It Matters
The deaths of Reddy and Salame mark a significant success for Chhattisgarh’s ongoing anti-Maoist operations.
- High-Value Targets Neutralized: Together, the two leaders carried at least ₹35 lakh in rewards, symbolizing their high rank in the Maoist hierarchy.
- Strategic Location: The encounter took place in a known Maoist transit corridor between Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.
- Impact on Maoist Command Structure: The elimination of senior leadership is expected to disrupt Maoist operations in the RKB division.
Maoist Casualties in 2025
With Wednesday’s action, 229 Maoists have been killed in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh so far this year, according to official police figures. The Bastar region, often described as the epicentre of Maoist activity in India, has seen intensified counter-insurgency efforts in 2025, including multi-district search operations, aerial surveillance, and coordinated inter-state action.
Background on the Maoist Movement in Chhattisgarh
The Maoist insurgency in Chhattisgarh, part of the larger Left Wing Extremism (LWE) problem in India, has been ongoing for decades. The movement, rooted in armed opposition to the state, has caused thousands of deaths among security forces, civilians, and Maoist cadre over the years.
The Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee — of which Reddy was a member — is one of the most influential Maoist operational units, spanning across parts of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Telangana.
Final Word from TheTrendingPeople.com
The elimination of two senior Maoist leaders in Chhattisgarh is a tactical victory for security forces and a potential strategic setback for the insurgents. However, past patterns suggest that leadership gaps in Maoist ranks are often quickly filled.
For long-term stability, experts emphasize that development initiatives, improved local governance, and community engagement must accompany security measures in LWE-affected areas.