A high‑profile Naxal commander carrying a Rs 30‑lakh bounty was killed in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Anti‑Terrorist Squad (ATS) and Ramnagar police near Lanka Maidan, adjacent to Varanasi, on Sunday.
The deceased was identified as Brijesh Ganjhu, alias Gopal Singh Bhokta, a resident of Chatra district, Jharkhand, and commander of the Third Presentation Committee (TPC) — a splinter group of the CPI (Maoist).
Police said Ganjhu opened fire when a team intercepted him while he was travelling toward Mughalsarai, prompting retaliatory action. He sustained bullet injuries and was rushed to hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
The Jharkhand government had announced a Rs 25‑lakh reward for his arrest, while the National Investigation Agency (NIA) offered an additional Rs 5 lakh, taking the total bounty to Rs 30 lakh.
During the exchange of fire, bullets struck the bulletproof jackets of UP ATS Deputy SP Vipin Rai and Head Constable Nitin Krishna, who escaped unharmed. Police teams are examining the site and collecting evidence to reconstruct the sequence of events.
Ganjhu was wanted in multiple Naxal cases and had been under pursuit for his role in violent activities across Jharkhand. His death marks a major success for security forces combating extremist networks in eastern India.
