Top maoist leader Ganesh Uike killed in Odisha, had ₹1.1 crore bounty on him

One of the top maoist leader Ganesh Uike, 69, who took charge of the Odisha Operations in December 2024 after heading the Karnataka-Kerala-Tamil Nadu south regional authority, was killed with five others in gunfights in Odisha.

This operation marks a major and significant blow to the Maoist uprising in recent years. Uike, better known as Paka Hunumanthu, had a collective bounty of ₹1.1 crore died after refusing to surrender in Odisha. 

Born in 1961 as the eldest of six siblings, Ganesh Uikey completed Class 10 in Chandur, pursued intermediate and degree studies in Nalgonda, and initially joined the Radical Students Union affiliated with the People's War Group (later CPI (Maoist), according to reports. He went underground around 40 years ago, reportedly after the assassination of Yechury Srinivas, and formally entered the Naxalite movement.

Over decades, he climbed the ranks from mandal-level committees to district and state leadership, ultimately becoming a Central Committee member overseeing operations across three states. Sources note he had faced health issues in recent years. With his father linked to Left parties, police believe the family environment shaped his early ideological leanings.

He typically traveled with two armed guards armed with .303 rifles, while aides carried his AK-47, laptop, phone, printer, batteries, and manpacks. Known for his endurance, he could walk for hours without rest and often slipped into towns disguised as a swamiji.

Talking to reporters, police said that Uike’s death will break the backbone of maoist movement in Odisha.

Uike was killed  during an encounter in the Rampa forest area on the border of Kandhamal and Ganjam districts.