SAA event in Jharkhand, Latehar District area, India on Sun 24th May 2026

Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP) ‘supremo’ Pappu Lohra, who was carrying a bounty of INR 1 million on his head, and his aide, Prabhat Ganjhu, who was carrying a bounty of INR 500,000, were killed during an anti-Naxal operation conducted jointly by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Jharkhand Police in a forest under the Latehar Police Station limits in Latehar District of Jharkhand on May 24 (today), reports Telangana Today. Acting on a tip-off that Lohra and his associates were in the forest, a team of security personnel led by Latehar Superintendent of Police (SP) Kumar Gaurav launched a search operation, Palamu Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) YS Ramesh said. “As the Maoists spotted the security personnel, they fired at them, and the team retaliated. Lohra and another JJMP member, identified as Prabhat Ganjhu, were killed in the gunfight. The Police have recovered their bodies,” the DIGP said. A cadre of the outfit was also injured and arrested during the encounter. Security Forces (SFs) recovered an INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) assault rifle from the arrested cadre. The deaths of Lohra and Ganjhu mark a significant blow to the JJMP’s activities in the region, further weakening the influence of the outfit in Jharkhand. JJMP is a splinter group of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist).