On August 13, 2025, a senior Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadre, Arun aka Varun aka Nilesh Madkam, a CPI-Maoist ‘area commander’ hailing from Ka Enta village under Konta Police Station limits in the Sukma District of Chhattisgarh, was killed in an encounter between the Maoists and Security Forces (SFs) during an anti-Maoist operation in the dense and hilly terrain of Souta in the Saranda Forest region under Goilkera Police Station limits in the Chaibasa municipality of West Singhbhum District in Jharkhand.
Officials involved in the anti-Maoist operation disclosed that intelligence inputs on August 12, 2025, indicated that senior Maoist leaders, including Misir Besra, Anmael, Maechhu, Anal, Asim Mandal, Ajay Mehta, Sagan Angaria, and Ashwin, along with their squad members, were active in the Kalhan/Saranda Forest region, plotting to target the Police and SFs around Independence Day. The squad reportedly included several notorious ‘commanders’, such as Ravi Sardar, Jaikant, Arun, Sandeep, Shiva, Risib, Uptan, Sanat, Amit Munda, and Bhuneshwar aka Saluka Kayam Somwari. Acting swiftly, a joint team of Chaibasa District Police and Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) 209 Commando Group launched an anti-Maoist operation in the area under Goilkera Police Station limits and, around 6:00 AM [IST] on August 13, 2025, the Maoists opened fire on the approaching forces. The security team retaliated, triggering a fierce gunfight in the forested and hilly terrain. Under heavy pressure, the Maoists fled using the cover of the dense forest. A subsequent search led to the recovery of the body of ‘area commander’ Arun, along with four looted Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs), 527 live cartridges, nine SLR magazines, one Light Machine Gun (LMG) magazine, three detonators, five magazine pouches, six pitthus (backpacks), Naxalite uniforms, pamphlets, batteries, jungle shoes and other daily-use items, from the encounter site. Arun was a high-ranking Maoist operative wanted in several cases of violence and anti-national activities, and carried a bounty of INR 200,000 on his head.
On April 12, 2025, a Jharkhand Jaguar (JJ) Constable was killed, and a Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) Head Constable was seriously injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast triggered by the CPI-Maoists during a search operation in the Radhapada Forest area under Jaraikela Police Station limits in West Singhbhum District. The Maoists triggered a pre-planted IED, causing critical injuries to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) head constable Vishnu Saini and Jharkhand Jaguar constable Sunil Dhan. Dhan succumbed to his injuries during treatment.
Several Maoist ‘commanders’ are active with their squads in the Saranda Forest area in Chaibasa and have planted thousands of IEDs to check SFs entering the jungles, due to which regular incidents of blasts take place during operations.
On March 22, 2025, a sub-inspector (SI) of the CRPF 193 Battalion, Sunil Kumar Mandal, was killed in an IED blast triggered by CPI-Maoist cadres in the forest area under Chhotanagra Police Station limits in Chaibasa in West Singhbhum District. Mandal and Partha Pratim Dey suffered injuries in the blast and were airlifted to Ranchi for treatment. Mandal was declared dead on arrival by doctors.
According to partial data collated by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), at least eight fatalities, including one civilian, two SF personnel and five Naxalites (Left Wing Extremists), have been registered in West Singhbhum District since the beginning of 2025 (data till August 17). During the corresponding period of 2024, 12 fatalities, including six civilians and six Naxalites, were recorded, while another five fatalities, including three civilians, one SF trooper, and one Naxalite, occurred in the remaining period of 2024. There were 19 fatalities, including 11 civilians, five SF personnel and three Naxalites, registered in 2023, while there were four, including two civilians and two SF personnel, in 2022. A maximum of 29 fatalities, including three civilians, five SF personnel and 21 Naxalites, were registered in 2010. A low of two fatalities (both civilians), was recorded in 2018. The district did not register any fatality in 2000, 2001, 2005 and 2008. At least 241 fatalities, including 82 civilians, 91 SF personnel, 64 Naxalites, and four in the ‘unspecified’ category, have been recorded in West Singhbhum since March 6, 2000, when SATP started compiling data on Left Wing Extremism (LWE) across India.
Civilians remain under constant threat in the West Singhbhum District. There has been one civilian fatality in the current year (data till August 17, 2025). The district recorded a maximum of 13 fatalities in 2013, while a low of a single fatality was recorded in 2015. 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2008 recorded no fatalities in this category. West Singhbhum has recorded a total of 82 civilian fatalities since March 6, 2000.
No Naxalites/associates have been arrested during search operations and combing raids in the district since the beginning of the current year (all data till August 17, 2025). During the corresponding period of 2024, there were five such arrests, and no further arrests were recorded during the remaining days of 2024. 13 Naxalites were arrested in 2023. From March 6, 2000, till August 17, 2025, at least 340 Naxalites have been arrested in the district.
Despite SF pressures, no Naxalites have surrendered in the district in the current year (data till August 17, 2025). 15 surrenders took place in the corresponding period of 2024, though there were no further during the remaining days of 2024. There were no surrenders in 2023 either. Since 2000, at least 22 Naxalites have surrendered in the district.
Following the fall of the Maoist bastion in Buddha Pahad in the State, the Maoists have been forced to take refuge in West Singhbhum District due to its terrain, which embraces forested plains and hills, creating a safe sanctuary for the extremists.
West Singhbhum, located in the southern part of Jharkhand, bordering Odisha, is the largest district in the state, covering 5,351.41 square kilometres, of which 53 per cent (around 2,836.24 square kilometres) are under forest cover. Other LWE-affected districts of the State and of neighbouring States, which border West Singhbhum are Khunti to the north and Saraikela Kharsawan to the east, in Jharkhand; the Mayurbhanj District of Odisha to the southeast; the Keonjhar District of Odisha to the south; and the Simdega District of Jharkhand and Sundargarh District of Odisha to the west. The geographical collocation of steep mountains and deep hill forests in the district makes it a tough job for the security personnel to chase after the extremists or to contain them.
Since March 6, 2000, despite a tough fight by SFs, the overall kill ratio remained in favour of the Maoists at 1.42:1. However, the kill ratio in the district remained in favour of SFs in 2010 at 1:4.2; 2011 at 1:3; 2020 at 1:3.5; 2024 at 1:7; and 2025 at 1:2.5. Moreover, the SFs did not lose a single trooper and killed one Maoist in 2012, three in 2014, five in 2015, and two in 2017.
Other parameters of LWE-linked violence indicate a surge in disruptive activities in West Singhbhum. The Maoists have triggered at least 10 blasts in the current year, while there were two such blasts in the corresponding period of 2024, and another two in the remaining days of 2024. The district recorded a maximum of 26 such blasts in 2023, while a low of one explosion was recorded in 2004 and 2019. A total of 63 such blasts have been recorded since March 6, 2000.
Overall Maoist-linked incidents increased from 23 in 2024 to 35 in 2025, within the comparable time frame (data till August 17, 2025). A total of 30 Maoist-linked incidents were recorded through 2024. A total of 448 such incidents have been recorded since March 6, 2000. Meanwhile, providing some respite, incidents of killing decreased marginally from eight in 2024 to six in 2025, again in a comparable time frame. At least 11 incidents of killing were recorded through 2024. A total of 112 such incidents have been recorded since March 6, 2000.
In the meanwhile, according to an August 13, 2025, report, for the preceding several weeks, Police conducted sustained anti-Maoist operations in the Saranda Forest region and adjoining forests, dismantling Maoist bunkers, seizing large caches of IEDs, and recovering weapons. Jharkhand Police Inspector General of Police (IGP), Operations, Michael Raj, while disclosing information regarding the August 13, 2025, encounter (mentioned above), asserted that the forces achieved “continuous success” and expressed confidence that Maoist activities in the area would soon be eliminated.
According to the SATP database, SFs have recovered arms on at least 24 occasions in West Singhbhum in the current year, while there were 13 such recoveries in the corresponding period of 2024, and another three in the remaining days of 2024. In a recent security operation involving Jharkhand Police, CRPF, and Jharkhand Jaguar forces on July 1, 2025, acting on credible intelligence inputs, security personnel recovered 18,000 detonators in and around the Husipi village under Tonto Police Station limits in the West Singhbhum District. The explosives, reportedly concealed with the help of local supporters, were seized in an effort to disrupt the Maoists’ supply chain and prevent the planned attacks. The District Police had received specific information that CPI-Maoist cadres, including prominent leaders Milsi Solka, Vunel, Monu, Unai, Lalit Munda, Vijai Eghars, Laxman Vashpika, Vishnu, Fetu Yogarka, Panu Yogarka, and Vimal Kalna, along with other armed cadres, were camping in the forest area. The group was allegedly preparing to carry out acts of violence and sabotage targeting SFs deployed in the region.
A total of 192 weapons’ recoveries has been documented in West Singhbhum District since March 6, 2000.
On April 13, 2025, Chief Minister Hemant Soren declared that the battle against the red rebels was in its final phase. The next day, on August 14, 2025, Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Gupta emphasised the need for intensified operations and enhanced coordination among various SFs to eliminate the residual Maoist presence in the State. While holding a comprehensive review meeting in Chaibasa to assess and strategize the ongoing anti-Naxalite operations, the DGP highlighted that 95 per cent of Jharkhand’s Maoist problem had been addressed, with the remaining challenges concentrated in the West Singhbhum region. Reports suggest that several Maoist ‘commanders’ remain confined with their squads in the Saranda Forests of Chaibasa and have planted thousands of IEDs to prevent SFs from entering the jungles.
Other concerns persist, as nine LWE leaders collectively carrying a bounty of 2.8 million and who are on the List of Rewarded Naxal/Criminals, remain elusive. They include: Saluka Kayam aka Saluka aka Danghil aka Maru aka Bhubaneshwar, a resident of Kudaburu Kayamsai village, Sonuwa Police Station, Chaibasa, West Singhbhum, a CPI-Maoist ‘zonal committee member (ZCM)’, carrying a cash reward of INR 1 million; Suleman Hansda, a resident of Hatnaburu, Chhotanagara Thana, Chaibasa, West Singhbhum, a CPI-Maoist ‘sub-zonal committee member (SZCM)’, carrying a cash reward of INR 500,000; Sagen Angaria, a resident of Sangajata village, Goelkera Police Station, Chaibasa, West Singhbhum, a CPI-Maoist ‘SZCM’, carrying a cash reward of INR 500,000; Karan aka Dangur Tiu, a resident of Sangajata village, Goelkera Police Station, Chaibasa, West Singhbhum, a CPI-Maoist ‘area commander (AC)’, carrying a cash reward of INR 200,000; Sona Ram aka Sudesh Honhaga aka Sona Das Honhaga aka Chinta Nagduwar, a resident of Thalkobad Block, Chotanagra Police Station, Chaibasa, West Singhbhum, a CPI-Maoist ‘area commander’, carrying a cash reward of INR 200,000; Israel Purti aka Amrit, a resident of Sangajata village, Tola-Sangajata, Goelkera Police Station, Chaibasa, West Singhbhum, a CPI-Maoist cadre, carrying a cash reward of INR 100,000; Basu Purti, a resident of Ichahatu village, Goelkera Police Station, Chaibasa, West Singhbhum, carrying a cash reward of INR 100,000; Basmati Jerai aka Saraswati Jerai aka Baso Purti Pius Jerai, a resident of Dharnadiri, Kiriburu Police Station, Chaibasa, West Singhbhum, carrying a cash reward of INR 100,000; and Samuel Budh aka Samu, a native of Putida, Bandgaon Police Station, West Singhbhum, a Local Guerrilla Squad (LGS) member, carrying a cash reward of INR 100,000.
Despite SFs’ continuous consolidation in West Singhbhum, LWE efforts to survive and revive their movement persist. As long as the Maoists retain capacities to perpetrate even occasional damage and to continue their overground activities, the residual risks will persist. West Singhbhum is classified among the six most affected districts in the country, across three states (Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Maharashtra). Aggressive security and developmental consolidation is required to free the district from the residual rebel threat in the District, as well as in the State of Jharkhand.
