Overview

• Security forces said three Maoists, including Central Committee member Sahadev Soren and bounty-carrying aides Raghunath Hembram and Birsen Ganjhu, were shot dead and three AK-47 rifles were recovered.
• The encounter began around 6 a.m. in the Panitiri forest under Gorhar police limits near the Bokaro–Giridih border, involving the 209 CoBRA unit with Hazaribagh and Giridih police.
• Officials reported no casualties among personnel during the joint operation.
• Home Minister Amit Shah praised the action, claimed Maoism has been completely eradicated from Bokaro, and reiterated the national goal of ending Left Wing Extremism by March 2026.
• Police figures underscore an intensified Jharkhand campaign with roughly three encounters per month over eight months, resulting in 30 Maoists and three criminals killed and five security personnel lost.