Story perspectives

UP ATS kills Naxal commander Brijesh Ganjhu in Varanasi

By Drooid · Sep 20, 2026, 10:39 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad killed wanted Naxal commander Brijesh Ganjhu in Varanasi on September 20.
A Rs 30 lakh reward—Rs 25 lakh from Jharkhand government and Rs 5 lakh from NIA—had been offered.
Police tried to stop his motorcycle at about 4:00 am.
He was wounded, taken to a hospital, and declared dead on arrival.
Bullets struck the bulletproof jackets of Deputy SP Vipin Rai and Head Constable Nitendra Krishna, who were unharmed.

History

Historical Context

After the 2009 launch of Operation Green Hunt, the Indian government deployed nearly 50,000 troops and the CRPF’s CoBRA unit to the Red Corridor, where the CPI (Maoist) insurgency had peaked at about 180 districts in the late 2000s. The offensive’s high-profile raids, such as the 2011 killing of commander Kishenji, illustrate the state’s continued reliance on large-scale force and cash bounties.

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Story summary

Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad killed wanted Naxal commander Brijesh Ganjhu in Varanasi on September 20.
A Rs 30 lakh reward—Rs 25 lakh from Jharkhand government and Rs 5 lakh from NIA—had been offered.
Police tried to stop his motorcycle at about 4:00 am.
He was wounded, taken to a hospital, and declared dead on arrival.
Bullets struck the bulletproof jackets of Deputy SP Vipin Rai and Head Constable Nitendra Krishna, who were unharmed.

1 / 2