Top Maoist leader shot dead in Bihar Encounter

A 35-year-old self-styled area commander of the banned Maoist outfit, CPI(Maoist), was killed in an encounter with security forces in Bihar’s Banka district, police said on Wednesday.

The slain Maoist has been identified as Ramesh Tudu, also known as Tedua. He carried a reward of ₹1 lakh on his head and was active in parts of Bihar and neighbouring Jharkhand.

Based on a tip-off, security personnel launched a combing operation in the Kalothar forest, falling under the Katoria police station limits in Banka. When the police reached the area, Tudu and his group opened fire on them.

The police team, led by Katoria police station’s Station House Officer (SHO) Arvind Rai, returned fire in self-defense. Tudu sustained bullet injuries during the exchange.

He was taken to the government referral hospital in Katoria, where doctors declared him dead. Meanwhile, his associates managed to flee into the forest between Budhi Ghat and Kalothar, using the difficult terrain to their advantage.

Banka Superintendent of Police (SP) Upendra Nath Verma said Tudu was the area commander of a Maoist unit that operated in Jamui district. Several cases linked to Maoist activities had been registered against him at Chandra Mandi and Chakai police stations in Jamui.

The state government had announced a ₹1 lakh reward for his arrest. Tudu was reportedly a resident of Budhi Ghat village in Banka. A carbine was recovered from his possession after the encounter, the SP said.

According to police, Tudu was also wanted in at least 11 Maoist-related cases in Deoghar and Gasidih districts of Jharkhand. The SP added that the search operation in the region would continue.