A top Maoist leader, Ganesh Uike, a Central Committee member with a bounty of Rs 1.1 crore, was killed along with at least three other Maoists in an encounter with security forces in Odisha's Kandhamal district. Uike, originally from Telangana, had been active in the Maoist movement for over four decades and was considered a key strategist and organizer. Union Home Minister Amit Shah hailed the operation as a significant breakthrough towards making India Naxal-free by March 2026, stating Odisha is on the threshold of becoming completely free from Naxalism.