Ranchi | Jharkhand’s campaign against Left-wing extremism scored a major and decisive success on Thursday when top CPI (Maoist) leader and ₹1-crore reward naxalite Anal Da, alias Patiram Manjhi, was killed in a fierce encounter in the Saranda Forest region of West Singhbhum district. Fourteen other naxalites were also eliminated in the operation. The action is being described as one of the most significant anti-naxal successes in Jharkhand in recent years.
According to information released by Jharkhand Police Headquarters, the encounter began around 6 am on January 22, 2026, in the dense forest area near Kumbdih village under the Chhotanagra police station limits of Chaibasa. Security agencies had received precise intelligence inputs indicating that Anal Da’s squad was planning a major violent strike. Based on this information, a large-scale operation was planned and executed.
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Hours-long Gun Battle in Joint Operation
Acting on the intelligence, joint teams of Jharkhand Police, CRPF, CoBRA and Jaguar units cordoned off the area. Heavy firing began early in the morning and continued for several hours, with intense exchanges from both sides. Following the encounter, security forces launched an extensive search operation and recovered a total of 15 bodies.
One of the deceased was identified as Anal Da alias Patiram Manjhi, while identification of the remaining naxalites is underway. Police officials said several of those killed were also reward-carrying commanders, indicating the scale of damage inflicted on the Maoist hierarchy.
During the search operation, security forces recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition, including AK-47 rifles, INSAS rifles, SLRs, country-made weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Daily-use items belonging to the naxalites were also seized, suggesting the group had been operating from the forest base for an extended period.
Who Was Anal Da
Anal Da, alias Patiram Manjhi, was a native of Giridih district in Jharkhand and had been active in the Saranda forests for several years. He was a Central Committee Member of CPI (Maoist) and played a key role in the Jharkhand–Bihar Special Area Committee. With a bounty of ₹1 crore on his head, he was considered one of the most wanted Maoist leaders in the region.
Security agencies said Anal Da was involved in planning and executing several major naxalite attacks and was a key strategist within the organisation. His elimination is seen as a major setback to the command structure, operational capacity and morale of Maoist groups in the region.
With this encounter, only two naxalites carrying a ₹1-crore bounty are now believed to be active in Jharkhand.
2025–26: A Decisive Phase in Anti-Naxal Operations
For Jharkhand Police, 2025 proved to be a record year in the fight against naxalism. With the support of central forces, security agencies killed 32 naxalites during the year, while 30 surrendered and 279 were arrested. Between 2001 and 2010, when naxalism was at its peak, the number of naxalites killed in encounters was negligible.
Following strategic changes and sustained operations, 191 naxalites were neutralised between 2011 and 2024. With 32 more killed in 2025, the total number of naxalites eliminated in encounters between 2001 and 2025 has reached 235. As a result, naxal-affected areas have continued to shrink and are now largely confined to limited pockets such as Saranda and Kolhan.
Jharkhand Moving Towards the End of Naxalism
Security agencies say the elimination of a senior leader like Anal Da at the very start of 2026 clearly indicates that the fight against naxalism has reached a decisive stage. The Centre and the state government aim to declare Jharkhand free of naxalism by the end of 2026. However, challenges such as dense forests, the threat of IEDs and residual local networks remain.
The focus of the police is now firmly on the remaining top reward-carrying naxalites. Alongside security operations, efforts are being intensified through surrender policies, development initiatives and community engagement to restore lasting peace in affected areas. Officials believe the success in the Saranda encounter marks a decisive step towards ending naxalism in Jharkhand.
About the author — Suvedita Nath is a science student with a growing interest in cybercrime and digital safety. She writes on online activity, cyber threats, and technology-driven risks. Her work focuses on clarity, accuracy, and public awareness.
