In a Jharkhand encounter, a Naxal commander with a Rs 10 lakh reward was slain

Amit Hansda, also known as Aptan, was shot dead by security forces Sunday morning in the West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand during a confrontation close to the Burjuwa hill. Hansda was a sub-zonal Naxal commander with a Rs 10 lakh bounty, according to the police.

The Chaibasa police received intelligence inputs indicating the presence of active Naxal cadres in the area near Rela village, under the Arahasa panchayat, in the Goilkera block. A search operation was started by a police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) team in response to the tip.

Police claim that Naxalites opened fire as the soldiers advanced, starting a gunfight in which both sides engaged in intense gunfire. A number of Naxals were able to escape into the thick jungle. But they stated Hansda, who lived in the Bokaro district, was immediately slain. A self-loading gun was also found by the police.

The Jharkhand Police said in July that during the previous six months, several anti-insurgency operations had resulted in the deaths of 17 persons and the arrest of nearly 200 others. Leaders of several outlawed organizations were among them, including members of the People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI), Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP), Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC), and the Maoist Communist Party of India.