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Jayaram Reddy was known by several aliases - Ramachandra Reddy, Apparao, and Ramu. But the most prominent was Chalapati. A senior leader in the Maoist ranks, Chalapati was gunned down during an encounter along with 19 other associates in a Chhattisgarh forest last night, marking one of the most successful campaigns by security forces to cleanse the region of Left-Wing Extremism (LWE).
Who was Jayaram Reddy
Chalapati, about 60 years old, was from Madanapalle in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, and had studied till Class 10. Despite his modest educational background, he had risen to prominence in the Maoist ranks, becoming a cadre of the Central Committee Member (CCM), a top decision-making body within the organisation.
Such a key position, which made him privy to sensitive operations of the banned outfit, drew a bounty of Rs 1 crore. The value of the bounty also suggests how important a target he was for the security forces.
Chalapati was familiar with the dense and impenetrable forests of Bastar. His security detail comprising 8-10 personal guards bears a testament to his importance within the Maoist network.
Armed with advanced weaponry like AK-47s and SLR rifles, Chalapati was a frontline leader who played a crucial role in making strategies and leading operations.
His tactical expertise, leadership skills, and ability to mobilise resources in challenging terrains earned him notoriety as one of the most wanted Maoist leaders in the region.
Chalapati relocated his base a few months ago in view of increasing encounters in Abujhmad, to the Gariaband-Odisha border, which was deemed a safer operational zone.
The Encounter
Chalapati and his associates - who are yet to be identified - were killed during an exchange of fire with a joint team comprising District Reserve Guard, Central Reserve Police Force, CoBRA commandoes from Chhattisgarh, and the Special Operation Group from Odisha.
The security forces launched the operation based on intelligence inputs that some Maoists were holed up in the Kularighat reserve forest of Chhattisgarh, about 5 km from the Odisha border.
Guns including a self-loading rifle, ammunitions, and bombs were found at the encounter site.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who had spelled the endgame for Maoists in the country, called it a "major success".
"Another mighty blow to Naxalism. Our security forces achieved major success towards building a Naxal-free Bharat...With our resolve for a Naxal-free India and the joint efforts of our security forces, Naxalism is breathing its last today," he said in an online post.
The government has been trying to make the Maoists shun violence and get back to the mainstream. At least 800 Maoists were arrested last year while another 802 extremists laid down their arms.
The security forces had killed 219 Maoists last year. Of them, 217 were from the Bastar region, comprising Bastar, Dantewada, Kanker, Bijapur, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Sukma districts.