Security forces struck a decisive blow against Maoist insurgency in Jharkhand, neutralizing 15 rebels in a intense gunfight in Chaibasa’s Saranda forests. Among the fallen was Patiram Manjhi alias Anl Da alias Tufan, a central committee member of CPI (Maoist) carrying a Rs 1 crore bounty and facing 149 criminal charges.
Originating from Giridih, Anl Da’s reign of terror began in 1987 in Piratand police station limits. By 2000, he controlled swathes of Tundi and Topchanchi. Post-2000, operations shifted to Bihar’s Jamui, where he faced brief custody. Renowned as the outfit’s master planner, he was linked to every major IED explosion in Chaibasa over the last three years.
Key atrocities define his legacy. The 2005 Giridih Home Guard arsenal raid claimed four lives and yielded massive weaponry hauls. 2006 Bokaro CISF barracks assault resulted in seven casualties. From hill ambushes in 2018 killing CoBRA forces, to 2019 IED strikes wounding dozens, Anl Da’s tactics sowed fear.
He directed the brutal Kukdu Haat ambush, executing five officers. Election-time bombings in 2019, patrols targeted in 2020, and the deadly 2021 Lonji pipe bomb that felled three JJ members marked his pattern. His final act involved pilfering explosives in Odisha just months ago.
In a press conference, top brass detailed Operation Megaburu, celebrating the elimination of this top fugitive. With Jharkhand intensifying anti-Naxal drives, surrenders are now called for, promising safer futures for tribal heartlands ravaged by decades of violence.
