Left-wing extremism has been eliminated nationally, but security forces and intelligence agencies in Jharkhand are still on the job, as the “lone wolf”—the deadliest among the pack, remains at large and elusive.
The 62-year-old Misir Besra, the lone surviving Politburo member of CPI (Maoist), remains elusive and is reportedly hiding in the dense Saranda forests of Jharkhand. He is also the secretary of the Eastern Regional Bureau of CPI (Maoist). He was last arrested in 2007 and escaped from police custody at the Lakhisarai district court in Bihar in June 2009, following a Maoist attack on the court premises.
Following the elimination of General Secretary Basava Raju last May, Besra has effectively emerged as the head of the banned outfit. The Politburo is considered the highest body of CPI (Maoist), comprising the organisation’s top leaders.
Besra, who carries a ₹1 crore cash reward on his head, is known by different aliases such as Sagar and Bhaskar.
“Our human and technical intelligence suggests that for the past couple of months, he has been operating under a new alias, ‘Pradhan’. He is highly radical, deadly, and cunning. He is now the lone top wolf of the pack, as the rest have either surrendered, been arrested, or neutralised. We are on his trail. He has very little space left to escape and limited arms and cadre to rely on,” a top security official told News Arena India.
When asked whether security agencies have an estimate of Maoists still on the run, sources said the number is no more than 150, and all of them are low-ranking cadres. Apart from Misir Besra, sources said there are two other dreaded Maoists wanted by the police.
One is Pusunuri Narahari, widely known by his aliases Tech Vishwanath and Santhosh. A native of Andhra Pradesh and a member of the Bihar–Jharkhand Special Area Committee, he is considered an explosives expert.
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The second is Aseem Mandal alias Akash, a native of West Midnapore district in West Bengal, who carries a reward of ₹1 crore on his head. He is also a member of the CPI (Maoist)’s Special Area Committee.
Notably, all three are reported to be operating in the Saranda Forest area, which spans over 900 square kilometres along the Odisha border. In Jharkhand, Maoists once had three major strongholds—Jhumara Pahad, Burha Pahad, and Saranda. These areas remained formidable bastions due to their extremely difficult terrain until security forces flushed the Maoists out. Rebels are still trying to make a comeback in Saranda.
“The sacrifices of our forces and the effectiveness of ground intelligence have paid dividends in the final phase, and today we have successfully eliminated Maoism. In January this year, we neutralised Patiram Manjhi, a Central Committee member who carried a bounty of ₹2.35 crore,” security sources said.
When asked whether efforts were being made to persuade the remaining rebels to lay down arms and join the mainstream, sources said they are exploring all options to convince them that surrender is the best deal the government can offer.
Days ago, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced in Parliament that, as per the March 31, 2026 deadline earlier set by the Narendra Modi government, Naxalism has finally been eliminated from the country.
Ending the 56-year-old armed insurgency, through a mix of security offensives and surrender policies—that once affected 126 districts across 12 states is seen as one of the Modi government’s biggest successes.
By Vijay Deo Jha
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