15 Naxalites Killed in Saranda Encounter Under Operation Megaburu

Brief By Newsbrief / 9:26 AM on 23 Jan 2026

Security forces achieved a major breakthrough in Jharkhand’s Saranda forest under Operation Megaburu, jointly led by the state police and central forces. According to officials, teams comprising the Central Reserve Police Force, its elite COBRA unit, Jharkhand Police, and district police engaged armed Naxalites in the Kiriburu police station area early Thursday morning.

IG CRPF Saket Singh said the encounter began around 6:30 am when security forces confronted a heavily armed squad led by top Maoist leader Anal alias Patiram Manjhi. The Naxalites opened indiscriminate fire, prompting forces to retaliate in self-defence. After multiple rounds of firing, 15 Naxalites were killed. Security personnel recovered their bodies along with a large cache of weapons, ammunition, and daily-use items.

Preliminary identification has confirmed 13 of the deceased, most of them high-value insurgents. Among those killed was Anal alias Patiram Manjhi, a Central Committee Member carrying bounties totaling over ₹2 crore across Jharkhand, Odisha, and cases registered by the NIA, with 149 criminal cases against him. The operation is continuing in the area.