Gadchiroli encounter: Police confirm Maoist leader Milind Teltumbde among 26 guerillas killed

Police on Sunday confirmed that among the 26 Maoists killed in Gadchiroli was their top commander Milind Teltumbde, a wanted accused in Bhima-Koregaon case who also had a price of R50 lakh on his head. Gadchiroli police had launched a search operation in Mardintola forest on Saturday morning when Maoists opened fire at them. After a 10-hour encounter, the surviving rebels fled into the thick forest, said officers. The other Maoist leaders killed in the encounter are - CPI (Maoist) divisional committee member and commander Lokesh Madkam, and Mahesh Gota. The Maharashtra government had set a reward amount of Rs 20 lakh and Rs 16 lakh, respectively, if anyone helped the police arrest or neutralise them.

Milind Teltumbde (centre, top row)

The duo has been involved in major violent activities in Gadchiroli and Chhattisgarh, said officers. Police said Gota, along with other rebels, had created terror among innocent citizens of Kasansur district of Maharashtra to join their movement and had stopped all development activities in the area.

Teltumbde was instrumental in strengthening the outlawed organisation, and his death along with his other commanders is a major setback to the Maoists. Gadchiroli police called the encounter and the elimination of Teltumbde a historic achievement. Speaking about the encounter, Gadchiroli police superintendent Ankit Goyal told mid-day, "We launched the operation based on specific information about a huge camp of Maoists, including Teltumde who is also wanted in Bhima-Koregaon case and brother of social activist Anand Teltumde, at the Mardintola forest. The information was very specific that the rebels had gathered to plan various anti-security forces strategies in the backdrop of upcoming Maoist week and to carry out other subversive activities."

The arms and ammunitions seized from the encounter site

The Special Operation Squad (C-60) and Special Action Group (SAG) launched the search around 6-6.30 am. "During the search, around 90 to 100 hidden armed Maoists opened indiscriminate fire in the direction of the commandos. Their intention was clear, to cause major damage and maximum casualties to the force and snatch away their arms and ammunition," Goyal said. As per the SOP, the officers appealed to the Maoists to stop firing and surrender, but they intensified the gunfire , injuring four officers. Gadchiroli police retaliated, and the encounter lasted close to 10 hours. "Sensing mounting police pressure, the Maoists fled to the thick forest," Goyal said.

Thereafter, commandos searched the area and recovered 26 bodies, including six of women, and found huge cache of arms and ammunition - five AK47, one AKM-UBGL, nine SLRs, 303 rifles, nine 2.2 single bore, one INSAS rifle, one pistol, and explosives in huge quantity. Later, some of the Maoists who surrendered identified the bodies of 16 deceased and 10 are yet to be identified.

Who is Milind Teltumbde?

His many aliases: Jiva aka Deepak aka Praveen aka Arun aka Sudhir aka Sahyadri
Father: Baburao Teltumbde
Address: R/O Rajur, Wani tehsil, Yavatmal district
Date of birth: 05/02/1964
Qualifications: 10th and ITI course

In 1984-85, he joined Dhoptala (Sasti) open cast coal mines, and two years later, he met Advocate Sujan Abraham, state secretary of Akhil Maharashtra Kamgar Union and was influenced by the Maoist ideology. In 2004-2005, he became a member of Maharashtra Rajya State Committee (MRSC) and was later promoted as its secretary. In 2016-17, MRSC was dissolved and the Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh (MMC) zone was formed, and he was appointed its leader. In 2021, he became its in-charge. He monitored and analysed movements of security forces in Gadchiroli, Gondia, Balaghat and Rajnandgaon, and masterminded and imp-lemented major ambushes. The MMC zone was formed for strengthening and revival of the CPI(Maoists), and he played a vital role in this.

Responding to this Susan Abraham has issued a statement to mid-day, as a detailed report appeared in mid-day on Monday. "Gadchiroli police is deliberately falsifying facts. I was never general secretary of AMKU, but one of the office-bearers of a registered All-Maharastra trade union! From 1986 in Chandrapur, AMKU organised the unorganised sector workers in glass, cement and thermal power stations, winning the struggles for statutory rights like minimum wages, health and accident benefits for nearly 10,000 workers. I may have inspired Millind Teltumde to take up trade union work, he became a dynamic TU leader in the coal mines with AITUC (affiliated to CPI) till the time I was in Chandrapur. Teltumde was not a member of AMKU nor did AMKU organise coal mine workers. I left Chandrapur in 1993 and after 1 year of work with unorganised sector workers in Surat, I returned to Mumbai in 1994. Till 1993 Millind Teltumde was a successful and popular trade unionist in the coal mine gaining all-India importance in AITUC," said Susan in her statement.

Registered offences: 63 - 42 incidents of encounters, 7 of civil murder, 4 of police murder, 2 of arsons and 1 of dacoity.

Past incidents:
Jambhulkheda blast, May 1, 2019; 15 cops killed
Koparshi encounter, May 17, 2020; 2 cops killed