Security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband district gunned down 10 Maoists in an encounter on Thursday afternoon. Among those killed was a significant figure, Manoj alias Modem Balkrishna, identified as a Central Committee member. The Central Committee is recognised as the Maoists' second-highest body, placing Balkrishna's elimination as a major blow to the organisation. He hailed from undivided Andhra Pradesh and had been involved in the Naxal movement for decades.

The operation, which led to this successful encounter, was launched on Wednesday night. It was initiated based on intelligence indicating the presence of Balkrishna and other armed Maoists in the area. A joint team, comprising Gariaband district's Elite 30 (a specialised anti-Naxal force), the Special Task Force, and the Central Reserve Police Force’s elite CoBRA unit, undertook the mission. The exchange of fire commenced in the afternoon in the dense and highly inaccessible jungles of the Matal area, with Maoists opening fire indiscriminately, prompting retaliation from the security forces that continued until evening. 

Notably, this significant encounter followed another development earlier on Wednesday, where 16 low-level Maoists surrendered in Narayanpur district. These individuals, associated with various units like Jantana Sarkar, Chetna Natya Mandali, and the Maoists' Panchayat militia, expressed profound disappointment over the "hollow" Maoist ideology, the atrocities they committed on innocent tribals, and growing internal differences within the banned organisation. Although their positions were relatively low in the hierarchy, these 16 Maoists played important roles in maintaining the insurgency.