A Naxal commander carrying a bounty of Rs 30 lakh was killed during an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and police near Varanasi on Sunday, officials said.
The victim was identified as Brijesh Ganjhu alias Gopal Singh Bhokta, a resident of Jharkhand’s Chatra district and commander of the Third Presentation Committee (TPC). The TPC is the splinter group that emerged from the CPI (Maoist) in Jharkhand.
According to police, the encounter occurred near Lanka Maidan in Ramnagar, which is adjacent to Varanasi. Ganjhu was travelling towards Mughalsarai when a police team attempted to stop him.
Police said Ganjhu opened fire at the team, following which an exchange of fire broke out. He sustained bullet injuries during the encounter and was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
A reward of Rs 25 lakh had been announced by the Jharkhand government for information leading to Ganjhu’s arrest, while the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had announced an additional reward of Rs 5 lakh. The combined bounty on the Naxalite commander was therefore Rs 30 lakh.
During the exchange of fire, bullets also hit the bulletproof jackets of UP ATS Deputy Superintendent of Police Vipin Rai and Head Constable Nitin Krishna, police said. Both officers were saved due to their bulletproof gear.
Ganjhu, who was wanted in connection with Naxal activities, was being pursued by security agencies in connection with his role as a commander of the TPC, a Naxal group active in Jharkhand.
Police teams were examining the encounter site and gathering further evidence as part of the investigation.
– Ends
(with inputs from Surendra)
Published By:
Devika Bhattacharya
Published On:
Sep 20, 2026 08:23 IST
