Two top Maoist commanders killed in Chhattisgarh's Abujhmarh, carried Rs 1.8 cr bounty each, in three states

RAIPUR: The two Maoists of central committee of the outfit killed in Abujhmarh in Narayanpur district on Monday, carried a cumulative bounty of Rs 1.8 crore each in Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand, Bastar police said. Raju Dada alias Katta Ramachandra Reddy (63) and Kosa Dada alias Kadari Satyanarayan Reddy (67)—were killed in a fierce encounter with security forces in the forests of Abujhmarh on September 22. The operation was conducted by teams of DRG, ITBP, BSF and district police in Narayanpur. Security personnel recovered one AK-47 rifle, one INSAS rifle, a BGL launcher, explosives, Maoist literature and other material from the site.Both the Central Committee members, Raju Dada and Kosa Dada, were active in the Dandakaranya Special Regional Committee for the last three decades.Masterminds of MassacresAccording to police records, Raju Dada was wanted in 27 major cases, including the 2009 Maharabeda ambush in Narayanpur that killed 27 CRPF personnel, the Bukintore blast (2011) killing 4 jawans, and the Jonagudem and Tekulguda ambushes in Sukma (2020 and 2022), each claiming 22 lives.

Kosa Dada was accused in 62 crimes across four states, including the 2009 Madanwada ambush in Rajnandgaon that killed 27 policemen including an SP, the Gadchiroli Markatola ambush (2009) killing 17 jawans, the Irpanar ambush in Narayanpur (2018) where 4 jawans died, and the abduction of Sukma Collector Alex Paul Menon in 2012.Bastar IG P Sundarraj said: “The CPI (Maoist) has suffered irreparable losses. What once appeared a united front is now fragmented, leaderless and directionless.

The deaths of Raju Dada and Kosa Dada further cripple the banned outfit.”A Weakening StrongholdAbujhmarh, spread across 5,000 sq km in Narayanpur, Bijapur, Dantewada and Kanker, has long been considered an impregnable Maoist bastion. But in the past two years, the establishment of multiple security camps and sustained anti-Naxal operations have significantly eroded Maoist dominance.According to official figures, 437 Maoists have been killed in Bastar range since January 2024, including 127 in Abujhmarh alone.