New Delhi: Jharkhand security forces carried out a major anti-Maoist operation and killed Pappu Lohara, the Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP) supremo who carried a Rs 10 lakh bounty on his head, in a shootout Saturday. His second-in-command Prabhat Ganjhu, who carried a Rs five lakh bounty, was also killed in the operation.
The JJMP is a splinter group of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).
The shootout unfolded Saturday in the forests of Ichabar in the Latehar district of Jharkhand. The operation began in the early hours of the morning based on precise intelligence inputs regarding the presence of armed extremists in the area.
The Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad was formed around 2010 after a fallout between some members of the CPI(Maoist) Jharkhand unit and the CPI(Maoist) leadership.
Pappu Lohara was a key figure in the region’s insurgents’ network. He was wanted in connection with 60 to 70 criminal cases, including extortion, murder, and attacks on security personnel, according to security forces.
Earlier on Wednesday, in Chhattisgarh’s Abujhmad, CPI (Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju and 26 other cadres were killed in a 72-hour operation.
A significant blow
According to security forces, the Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad has been active in the region and engaged in various unlawful activities. The operation that left its top leaders dead is being seen as a significant blow to the outfit’s operations in the state.
Security forces, including the Jharkhand Police and paramilitary units, have intensified operations in the region as part of the state’s ongoing efforts to combat Maoist insurgency.
The superintendent of police in Latehar had reportedly been getting regular intelligence that Pappu Lohara, also known as Suryadev Lohara or Somed Lohara, along with his armed squad, was moving around in the Latehar police station area.
Then came a tip-off that Pappu Lohara and his squad were hiding in the Ichabar forest, planning a major attack. After that, the superintendent of police formed a special raid team led by sub-inspector Ravindra Mahali from the Latehar police station.
When the police began surveying the forest, they noticed a group of people. As soon as the suspects realised the police were nearby, they allegedly opened fire.
“The police team fired back to defend themselves and protect their weapons. The gunfight lasted for about 30 minutes, after which the extremists ran away into the dense forest,” read a press release on the encounter.
After the firing stopped, the police began a search operation and found the bodies of Pappu Lohara and Prabhat Ganjhu. The team also recovered an AK-56 rifle, two 303 rifles, two semi-automatic rifles, three country-made pistols, 405 cartridges, and six walkie-talkies.
Series of crimes
An encounter took place between Lohara and Jharkhand Jaguar forces in the Bokakhand–Orvai Basti area in Latehar in July 2024. During the gunfight, sub-inspector Nagendra Pandey and constable Ramsingh Surin received gunshot injuries in their legs. Later, police recovered three country-made “Bharthua” guns. Ganjhu was also involved in the shootout, say police. JJMP, led by Lohara, has carried out several violent attacks targeting civilians and infrastructure in Latehar, they add.
On 12 March 2021, a man was shot dead in Bingada village near Baraini. Earlier, on 7 December 2018, JJMP allegedly killed a clerk working on a bridge project between Manika and Kumandi.
Acts of sabotage and destruction include the 11 July 2019 arson attack on heavy construction vehicles at Tori railway coal siding. The fire damaged government property and disrupted infrastructure projects, say officers.
JJMP allegedly also killed a Sukri villager with a sharp weapon before dumping his body on the roadside on 18 May 2020. Two months later, the group was accused of abducting a Murgidih villager from his home, taking him to the forest, and killing him. On 17 November 2020, JJMP members allegedly shot at two more villagers in Nawadih forest, leading to the death of one of them.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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