Maoist leader Chalapati with Rs 1 crore bounty gunned down in Chhattisgarh

A ranking Maoist leader who carried a whopping reward money of ₹1 crore on his head was gunned down in Chhattisgarh along with 19 other rebels in what home minister Amit Shah described as a “major success” against Naxalites.

Authorities announced the death of Jairam Reddy, 60, who had a string of aliases but was most popularly known as Chalapati. He was shot dead in a forested part of the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border.

Also Read: Chhattisgarh | 14 Naxalites, including one with Rs 1 crore bounty, killed in encounter

Authorities said the Central Reserve Police Force, the Special Operations Group of Odisha Police as well as the Chhattisgarh Police were involved in the Monday night (January 20) crackdown.

Hailed from Andhra

Two women were among the other Maoists killed but their full identities were yet to be revealed. One security commando was injured in the gunfight.

Originally a resident of Madanapalle in Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh, Chalapati, a school dropout, was a Central Committee member of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist).

He was said to be familiar with the dense forests of Bastar region where for a long time the Maoists ran a state within a state, challenging the might of the Indian State.

Also Read: Naxal leader Prabhakar Rao, carrying Rs 25 lakh bounty, arrested in Chhattisgarh

Intelligence led to Chalapati

He had eight to 10 security guards, indicating the importance he held in the Maoist outfit. He was one of the most-wanted Maoist leaders in the region.

According to media reports, Chalapati relocated his base a few months back from Abujhmad in Bastar to the Gariaband-Odisha border.

The security forces launched the operation based on intelligence inputs that some Maoists were holed up in the Kularighat reserve forest of Chhattisgarh, about five kilometres from the Odisha border. A self-loading rifle, ammunition, and bombs were found at the site.

Also Read: Chhattisgarh: 3 Naxalites killed in encounter with security forces

Shah hails success

Union minister Amit Shah said Chalapati’s death was “another mighty blow to Naxalism. Our security forces achieved major success towards building a Naxal-free Bharat. With our resolve for a Naxal-free India and the joint efforts of our security forces, Naxalism is breathing its last today," he said in an online post.

Naxalite toll

At least 800 Maoists were arrested last year and another 802 laid down their arms. The security forces killed 219 Maoists last year.