Tightening The Noose: Jharkhand Records Major Maoist Surrenders And Arrests, DGP Attributes Success To Teamwork
Under state's first woman DGP Tadasha Mishra, Jharkhand has recorded major surrenders, arrests and encounters, weakening Maoist networks across the state, reports Prashant Kumar.
Published : July 31, 2026 at 12:55 PM IST
Ranchi: The battle against Maoist insurgency has never been easy. It demands years of intelligence gathering, painstaking surveillance, coordinated operations and patient policing. In Jharkhand, where Maoist violence has long challenged the security apparatus, the state’s first woman Director General of Police, Tadasha Mishra, has overseen a series of major successes.
Between January and July 2026, Jharkhand Police arrested 93 Maoists, secured the surrender of 45 cadres and killed 22 in encounters. The period also saw the surrender of senior Maoist commanders and several high-profile arrests, achievements that many within the force describe as a decisive phase in the state’s campaign against Left-Wing Extremism.
Since taking charge, Mishra has led an aggressive yet intelligence-driven strategy that has significantly intensified operations against Maoist groups, with the police registering a steady rise in arrests, encounters and surrenders across the state.
On May 21, 2026, a landmark operation saw 27 Naxalites surrender together, the largest such surrender since Jharkhand was carved out as a separate state. Of them, 25 belonged to the banned CPI (Maoist), while two were members of the Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP). Eight carried rewards totalling Rs 33 lakh and together faced 426 criminal cases.
Another breakthrough came in July 2026 when 16 active CPI (Maoist) cadres, including six senior commanders carrying a combined bounty of Rs 39 lakh, surrendered under Operation Navjeevan-II. Police recovered 11 firearms and 1,562 rounds of ammunition from the surrendered militants.
From January to July 2026, Jharkhand Police arrested 93 Naxalites, killed 22 in encounters and secured the surrender of 45 cadres. The operations were carried out in close coordination with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and intelligence agencies.
Among the notable successes was the surrender of zonal committee member Chandan Lohara, who carried a bounty of Rs 10 lakh and was wanted in 78 criminal cases.
The state’s biggest encounter this year took place on January 22 in the Saranda forests, once considered a Maoist stronghold, where security forces killed 17 Maoists in a single operation. Those killed included senior leaders such as Anal alias Patiram Manjhi and Anmol alias Sushant, both carrying multi-state rewards worth crores of rupees. Security forces also recovered a large cache of arms, including AK-47 rifles, INSAS rifles, SLRs, .303 rifles, ammunition and other equipment.
Police also arrested several wanted Maoist leaders during the year, including Misir Besra (Rs 1 crore reward), Ajay Mahato alias Tiger (Rs 25 lakh), Ravindra Ganjhu (Rs 15 lakh) and Mochhu (Rs 15 lakh).
DGP Mishra credited the achievements to coordinated efforts by the Jharkhand Police, CRPF and intelligence agencies. She acknowledged the contribution of CRPF IG Saket Singh, Jharkhand Jaguar IG Anoop Birthare, IG Operations Narendra Singh, Intelligence Bureau personnel and district Superintendents of Police, saying teamwork had been the key to the sustained offensive against Maoist groups.
A 1994-batch IPS officer, Mishra became Jharkhand’s first woman DGP on December 30, 2025. During her career, she has held key assignments as Ranchi City SP, SP of Giridih and Bokaro, ADG Railways, Special Secretary in the Home, Prisons and Disaster Management Department, IG Human Rights and IG Special Branch. She is also credited with introducing internal reforms within the police force by strengthening the Police Grievance Redressal Committee and expediting the resolution of service-related issues faced by personnel.
Police officers say her tenure has been a combination of aggressive field operations with organisational reforms, helping intensify the campaign against Left Wing Extremism while improving coordination across security agencies.
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