Stories
Jharkhand's Notorious Naxalite Brijesh Ganjhu Killed in Varanasi Encounter.
- •Jharkhand's most wanted Naxalite commander, Brijesh Ganjhu alias Gopal Singh, carrying a Rs 30 lakh bounty, was killed in an encounter with UP ATS and police in Varanasi.
- •Brijesh Ganjhu, who was also elected village head (Mukhiya) in 2010, extorted 'levy' from transporters and contractors in Jharkhand and Bihar's coal belt.
- •During the encounter, Ganjhu fired pistols with both hands, narrowly missing ATS DSP Vipin Rai and Head Constable Nitendra Krishna, who were saved by bulletproof vests.
- •Brijesh Ganjhu formed his own rebel group, 'Tritiya Prastuti Committee' (TPC), in 2004 after rebelling against CPI (Maoist), establishing a terror and extortion network.
- •NIA had been pursuing Ganjhu since 2018 for his involvement in a terror funding case related to coal projects, where he was among 17 main accused.
Key Questions Answered
Brijesh Ganjhu was killed during a joint operation by the UP ATS and police in the Ramnagar area of Varanasi on Sunday. After being intercepted on a bike, he jumped off and began firing indiscriminately with pistols in both hands at the security team. The ATS team returned retaliatory fire in self-defense, fatally wounding him.
A total bounty of Rs 30 lakh was placed on Brijesh Ganjhu's head. This included a Rs 25 lakh reward declared by the Jharkhand Police and an additional Rs 5 lakh reward issued by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
After breaking away from the banned CPI (Maoist) organization in 2004 due to internal disputes, Brijesh Ganjhu formed his own rebel group named the Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC). Through this group, he established a widespread network of extortion and levy collection targeting coal mines and contractors across Jharkhand and Bihar.
