Maoist Masa killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district

A senior Maoist leader carrying a reward of Rs8 lakh was killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district, police said on Wednesday evening.Kanker Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Indira Kalyan Elesela said the anti-Maoist operation was launched on September 7 by a joint team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Border Security Force (BSF) in the forests along the Kanker–Narayanpur border.“On September 9, a police–Naxalite encounter took place in the hilly forest area of Gedabeda village under Partapur police station limits. Following the exchange of fire, the body of one Maoist was recovered along with a walkie-talkie set and a .303 rifle,” SSP Elesela said.

Kanker, Chhattisgarh | A Naxalite was killed in an encounter in the hilly area of ​​the forest of Gedabeda village of Thana Partapur. A .303 rifle, walkie-talkie set and other Naxalite material recovered: IG Bastar P Sundarraj pic.twitter.com/jrq3ocSVcB

— ANI (@ANI) September 10, 2025

Inspector-General of Police (Bastar Range) P. Sundarraj confirmed that the deceased was identified as Masa, a member of the Maoists’ military wing, the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA). Masa had been carrying a cash reward of Rs8 lakh announced by the Chhattisgarh government.“The Maoists now have only one option remaining – either surrender and join the mainstream under the government’s rehabilitation policy, or face elimination in ongoing decisive operations. The banned organisation has already begun crumbling,” IG Sundarraj said, appealing to cadres to abandon violence.Security officials added that the operation was based on specific intelligence inputs about Maoist movement in the area. Kanker, located about 180 km south of Raipur, is one of the seven Maoist-affected districts in the Bastar zone of south Chhattisgarh, where anti-Maoist operations have intensified in recent months.Police said further search operations are underway in the region to track down remaining Maoist cadres active in the area.