A game-changing anti-Naxal operation in Jharkhand’s Saranda jungles culminated in 15 rebels’ deaths, headlined by the takedown of top Maoist Patiram Manjhi alias Anl Da. With a Rs 1 crore tag and 149 cases, this central committee operative’s demise marks a turning point.
Giridih native Anl Da, active since ’87, ruled local domains until relocating to Bihar’s Jamui post-2000. A tactical genius, he fueled Chaibasa’s recent blast spree. His chronicle brims with audacious strikes: Giridih’s 2005 guard killings and rifle heist; Bokaro CISF demolition in ’06.
Subsequent years: Fatal 2018 hill fights, multiple 2019 IED traps maiming forces, the infamous Kukdu Haat police executions. Persistent ambushes through 2020-2021, capped by massive 2025 explosives theft in Odisha.
Detailed by senior officers in a media briefing, Operation Megaburu exposed the plot’s success. Amid calls for capitulation, Jharkhand’s security apparatus eyes total Maoist eradication, healing war-torn regions.